Blood Trigger
by This Coffee Tastes Like Crap
Summary: Osamu knew he was weak; it was nothing new. However when power is forced upon him against his will, he realises that it's not all it's cracked up to be...Or: "With great power comes great responsibility, so Osamu decided that power can go take a hike." OsamuxChika, LOTS OF ANGST (because this fandom's too dang happy and I'm fresh from the SNK fandom *laughs evilly*)
1. Nightmare

"Megane-kun!"

Osamu was lost in thought as a familiar axe-wielding Tamakoma-1 agent bristled at his lack of a response.

"Don't you ignore me!" Konami shouted, her voice gaining volume. "Now come get some food so you don't starve!"

Megane-kun's stomach rumbled at the prospect of food. "H-huh? Oh, sorry Konami-sempai…just—"

"—lost in thought, what's new there?" she huffed, pointing a soup spoon in his direction. "Just stop thinking so much and relax! You can't function properly if you don't take care of yourself! Besides, you look like death—you haven't been getting any sleep, have you? I— _YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN AREN'T YOU!?_ "

This time, Osamu jumped and actually fell out of his chair at Konami's voice. "A-ah, sorry Konami-sempai!" he stammered, standing and attempting to get his bearings. "I-I'm coming!"

As he scrambled to his seat at the table, Reji and Chika returned from training. "Hi Osamu-kun!" the latter greeted, taking her spot next to him.

It took Megane-kun a moment to register her greeting. "O-oh hi Chika…" he murmured, staring into nothing.

" _MEGANE-KUN—!_ " Konami started, only to be interrupted by Chika.

"I-it's probably just been a long day for him," she tried, "right?"

"R-right," Osamu replied quietly, "sorry…"

Reji raised an eyebrow while Konami sighed. "Whatever," she said flippantly, handing everyone a bowl of food. "Now eat, so you can actually function properly."

"Thank you," he said politely, taking his bowl and—after giving thanks—began to eat, all the while trying to ignore Chika's concerned glances.

* * *

"O…Osamu-kun…?"

The glasses-clad brunette jumped at the sound of Chika's voice. He hadn't even heard the door open.

"Oh…hi Chika…" he murmured, averting his gaze.

There was an awkwardly long pause as Chika shifted from one foot to the other, trying to find what to say.

"Hey, Osamu-kun…" she trailed off when she saw the expression on his face.

It was clear he hadn't slept well in days—his hair was slightly disheveled, glaringly dark circles hung under his eyes, and a frown was etched on his face. His eyes lacked the usual life and determination that they normally held, replaced with something dark that Chika couldn't quite name.

"…Osamu, are you okay?" Chika blurted, looking up at him worriedly. "Y…you've been a lot more exhausted lately, and you've been spacing out more than usual—it's been worrying everyone…you're not pushing yourself too much, are—"

"Chika."

His voice was flat, defeated. "O…Osamu-kun…?" she replied hesitantly.

There was another long pause, and right as Chika opened her mouth to break it Osamu spoke.

"You…you remember when we went out and had a bonfire, right?" he asked, voice still devoid of emotion. "When Xeno said he'd sacrifice someone else's life for Lilith's sake in a heartbeat?"

Fearing where this was going, Chika nodded mutely.

"Well…I can't help but think he's right," he said, "at least partially…sometimes you just can't save everyone."

"W-what are you talking about?!" the black-haired girl demanded, eyes widening in fear. "Y-you said it yourself—you'd find a way to save bo—"

"What if I _can't_ Chika!?" Osamu snapped, slamming his fists on his desk and making the poor girl flinch. "What if trying to save everyone just gets everyone _killed_!?"

Chika felt her eyes water, but she took a stubborn breath and held them back. "Y-you wouldn't know unless you try!" she insisted, her hands balling into fists. "Isn't that what you said?"

After a suffocating moment of tension, Osamu heaved a sigh and put his face in his hands.

"Chika…" he murmured, "I'm sorry…I-it's just…."

The dark haired girl took another breath. "Osamu…" she said softly, forcing her hands to uncurl and relax. "What's wrong? Where is this all coming from? It's…it's starting to scare me."

Osamu thought for a moment as he stared forlornly at his desk. "I…I just keep having these nightmares…" he whispered, "We're out fighting, and suddenly…something always happens—it's always different, _each_ and _every_ night—and you and Kuga…you're both falling down into this…this dark abyss. You're both out of Trion and can't bail out, and I…I…"

His hands balled into fists, and Chika took a cautious step forward. "It's okay Osamu…" she said soothingly, "You can tell me."

Another tense moment passed, and Osamu let out a small sob. "…at first, I'd try to grab you both and pull you up, but…but I would just be pulled down with the two of you. I…I kept trying and trying until…until…"

He took a shaky breath, and Chika stepped forward and placed what she hoped to be a comforting hand on his shoulder. "O-Osamu…kun…"

"One night, I…I got upset, frustrated, whatever…" he whimpered, "…and when I had grabbed both of you, I started slipping again, and I panicked…and…and…"

Chika lightly squeezed Osamu's shoulder, and he took another shaky breath. "I…I let go."

"You…let go?" the dark-haired girl questioned, forcing her voice to stay level.

Osamu took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I let go of Yuma…" he whispered finally, "he fell to his death…but I was able to save you."

The girl withdrew her hand and stepped back in shock. "W…what…?"

"I-I kept trying to save you both," he continued, staring down at his glasses in his hands. "But _every single time_ I'd…I'd let go of him. I kept telling myself 'I need to save them _both_ , I need them _both_ '…but I kept letting go, no matter how hard I kept telling myself _not_ to…"

"O…Osamu…" she whispered, a hand clutching her chest in an attempt to calm her frantic, frenzied heartbeat. "T-that's…"

"Awful, I know," he finished, "And…last night…I…I tried so hard…but I…"

Suddenly there was a _crack_ as Osamu snapped his glasses in half.

"O-Osamu…!" Chika trailed off, backing away slowly. "Y-your—!"

" _I killed you._ "

Suddenly it got very difficult to breathe.

"Y…y-you…you what…?" she whispered, eyes widening in fear.

"I…I dropped you," he murmured, a shadow hanging over his face as he glared blindly at his now broken glasses. "I…I watched you fall to your death as I saved Yuma…I kept telling myself it was okay, I did the best I could…b-but I just…I couldn't handle it and I…I jumped in after you."

Chika tried to take a calming breath, but the tears fell anyway. "O-Osamu…It's okay…" she stammered, reaching out and putting a tentative hand on his shoulder. "I'm here now…"

"But what if we're in a situation like that in the real world?" Osamu demanded, "What if…what if I had to choose between the two of you?!"

The dark haired girl took another deep breath. "You choose Yuma-kun," she stated matter-of-factly, "He'd be the better choice—he's the more skilled of the two of us."

"But I _can't_!" Osamu snapped, tossing his glasses onto the desk and turning on her. "Don't you _get_ it Chika!? I made a promise to your brother to keep you safe— ** _no matter_** ** _what_**! I care about you and I-I just _can't_ let you get yourself killed, no matter _how_ little _you_ value your own life! I…I just…"

Suddenly the door opened, making Chika flinch and Osamu stiffen.

"Is…is everything okay?" Shiori asked, peeking into the room along with a certain white-haired neighbor. "I-I thought I heard shouting…"

Chika opened her mouth to reply, but Osamu cut her off.

"Just a little misunderstanding…and stress," he murmured, rubbing a hand over his face. "I broke my glasses and can't find my spare pair."

"You mean those?" Yuma asked, pointing to the case lying on the end table by Osamu's bed.

However, Chika didn't miss the way Yuma's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Obviously Osamu did. "I-I'm sorry, but I have no idea where you're pointing at," he apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Can you get them for me Chika…?"

Chika froze in fear for a split-second, but promptly shook it off. "R-right," she murmured, walking over to the end table and opening the case.

"Um…it's empty…" she replied hesitantly.

"Crap…they must be _somewhere_ ," Megane-kun muttered, feeling around the top drawer of his desk. "S-sorry for inconveniencing you guys…"

"I-It's okay," Chika said, "I'll help you find them."

"Same here," Yuma said, entering the room to aid in the search.

"Ah, I know how much of a pain that could be," Shiori nodded in sympathy, "I'd help look, but it looks like that you got it covered, hmm?"

"T-thanks, Shiori-sempai," Osamu said as he patted his way through another drawer.

"Good luck," she called as she walked away, closing the door behind her.

A few moments of searching later, Yuma finally found the spare. "Found your eyeballs, Osamu-kun!"

"Ah, thanks, Yuma-kun!" Osamu said gratefully, reaching for the familiar blur in the neighbor's hand.

…only for Yuma to raise them in the air.

"…Yuma, I'm taller than you," Megane-kun deadpanned, standing up and plucking the glasses out of Yuma's hand.

"Well that didn't work as planned," the neighbor replied, laughing good naturedly.

"Thanks anyway," Osamu murmured as he put them on.

"But Osamu…" Yuma started, "…why did you lie to Shiori?"

Chika glanced at the brunette, whose expression was unreadable. "I really did need help looking for my spare glasses, didn't I?"

"But there was a lot more than a little misunderstanding and stress—your other glasses are snapped in _half_. I don't need my Side Effect to know that you're hiding something."

After a long, tense moment Chika couldn't take it anymore.

"Osamu's been having nightmares," she blurted, then covered her mouth at Osamu's glare.

"Nightmares?" Yuma asked, cocking his head to the side. "What kind of nightmares?"

"It's nothing, really," Megane-kun insisted, "just not getting good sleep, that's all."

Yuma's eyes narrowed. "Osamu," he murmured, "you make up the stupidest lies."

 _Now you've done it,_ Osamu's eyes accused as he glanced at Chika and cleared his throat. "It's nothing for you to worry about," he said, "I'll…I'll get over it, really. I…just need some time."

The neighbor stared at him, eyes still full of suspicion. "It's not a lie," he said, "but only because you believe it to be true—that doesn't make it absolute."

"Y-Yuma-kun," Chika said, "L-let's just let Osamu take a nap—since it's light out maybe he won't have any nightmares…?"

She turned to Megane-kun for approval, and he nodded, his face still unreadable. "…yeah," he said quietly. "I'll…just take a nap."

"Alright, let's go Yuma!" Chika said with a little forced enthusiasm, grabbing Yuma's arm and dragging him out of the room.

* * *

"So, what's going on with Osamu-kun?"

Chika flinched at the sudden (but inevitable) question. After dragging Yuma out of Osamu's room, she had taken them both up to the roof of Tamakoma to talk.

"H…he said he's been having nightmares about fighting neighbors," she replied, attempting to be vague. "And he feels he…he's not a good leader."

"Why is that?"

The dark haired girl flinched again. "I…he thinks he has trouble making split-second decisions."

"Like what?"

There was a pause as Chika hesitated. She couldn't lie, even without Yuma's Side Effect—but on the other hand, she wasn't sure if leaving Osamu alone will make things better or worse.

"…you want to help him, don't you?" Yuma asked, "We can't help him if one of us doesn't know what's going on, right?"

"…I do," Chika decided, "I…I just don't know if it's for me to say…"

Yuma sighed as he turned to Chika. "You know how Osamu is," he stated, "He's never going to tell me—he'll think he's burdening us or something."

"Right…" she agreed, then took a deep breath. "Osamu…said he has nightmares about the two of us dying."

"But that's inevitable," Yuma pointed out, "there has to be more than that."

Chika sighed as she stared out over the horizon. "…He said it ends the same way every night," she said, "we're both out of trion and he tries to pull us both up, but fails…but lately…"

Yuma stared at her expectantly, and the dark haired girl swallowed thickly.

"…he said he let go of you one night…and saved me. It kept going on for a time, and it was starting to get to him."

"Why?" Yuma asked, "He made the right choice, didn't he?"

Chika's eyes widened in confusion, not sure she heard him correctly. "W-what?" she asked, "Y-you—"

"But that's not all," Yuma interrupted, "there's still a bit you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"I…" Chika was _sure_ Osamu wanted to keep the last part private. "I don't think…"

"Chika, we need to help Osamu, don't we?"

Many emotions were swirling inside her at once, and it was making Chika feel dizzy. She wanted to help Osamu, she really did—but he made it clear that he wanted to deal with it on his own…

…but she wasn't sure if he _could_.

"Promise you won't tell _anyone_ else?" Chika asked.

"Of course," Yuma promised, "I wouldn't have told anyone anyway."

Now feeling more confident, Chika sighed. "He said last night…he dropped me and saved you."

"Oh…?"

Chika nodded, "He…he said that he kept telling himself he did the right thing, but…"

"He lost it and jumped after you, didn't he?"

"H-how did you know that!?" Chika demanded, "Y-you…"

"I know Osamu well," Yuma shrugged, "it sounds like something he would do—he cares about you a lot."

"T-that can't be true…" Chika stammered, her cheeks growing red.

Yuma chuckled softly. "Chika," he said, "you make up the stupidest lies…"

Now thoroughly embarrassed, the dark haired girl put her face in her hands. "I…I mean it…" she murmured.

 _I made a promise to keep you safe,_ _ **no matter what**_ _!_

"I…" she murmured, "I'm not worth it…"

The neighbor stared at her for a moment and then sighed. "…you really believe that?" he asked, shaking his head. "Osamu's been having _nightmares_ about losing you. Obviously you're worth it in _his_ mind, at least."

"B-but—"

"You'd be doing more harm than good," Yuma continued, "by saying something so stupid. Osamu cares about you, and I like you too. There's no escaping our affection— _especially_ Megane-kun's."

 _I killed you._

"…I'm not worth…another person's life…" Chika whispered, putting her face in her hands.

Yuma's face softened. "Chika," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Believe it or not, you are—"

"No!" Chika insisted, turning on him. "I-I got my brother captured, I almost got Osamu killed because I keep attracting Neighbors and now he's losing sleep because he keeps worrying about me! I'm nothing but a burden to him! That's why Osamu should just leave me to die when the time comes! You—"

" _I_ have a clock ticking a lot faster than yours," Yuma said matter-of-factly, "Even with your attracting Neighbors, you still have a chance to live another day afterwards. Hypothetically, if _I_ were to be the one who was saved, I'd just end up leaving him in the near future because I have a limited time—but if it's _you_ then you're more likely to help Osamu a lot later in life."

Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't find fault in the Neighbor's logic.

"…it must be hard for him," Chika murmured, "I mean…either one of us can die any day, and Osamu feels like he has to protect us…"

"It's stressful I'll bet," Yuma agreed with a smile, "but Osamu is a sucker for those in need. You know that."

Chika nodded, shivering as a breeze whispered past. "Yeah…he really is."


	2. Warm

The next day Osamu looked even worse than he did yesterday, making Chika (and everyone else) even more worried.

"Oi, Megane-kun," Konami said over breakfast, "you should probably sleep in some more, you look like death."

The glasses-clad brunette didn't even register she said anything as he stared out into nothing.

"Didn't you know Konami?" Kyosuke asked, "Mikumo-kun's been sneaking out at night and going into a secret Gate to fight Neighbors in their own land. That's why he's been so tired lately."

" _WHAT!?_ " Konami demanded, "Mikumo what the _hell!?_ Does Border know about this!? You're barely awake as it is! You don't need that kind of stress! Isn't that what the A-Ranks are for!?"

Unfazed by the ruckus, Osamu still didn't move.

"Sorry," the scruffy hottie apologized, "I lied."

There was a rather short pause until Konami shouted in frustration. "You tricked me _again!?_ "

Osamu still didn't quite come to until the female Tamakoma agent's arms had him in a headlock.

" _STUPID MEGANE-KUN!_ "

"A-ACK!" Osamu choked, desperately grabbing at Konami's arm. "But I-I didn't do anything!"

"O-Osamu-kun!" Chika cried out as she made her way to them, "Konami-sempai, please don't hurt him!"

"Whatever," Konami huffed, finally releasing Osamu from her grip. "Just eat. You seriously look like you're about to pass out."

"Maybe…because you almost choked me out…?" Megane-kun sighed (or heaved), holding his neck.

Chika laughed to herself as breakfast continued as normal, though when she looked up again she saw Osamu starting to draw into himself once more.

* * *

"Osamu?" Chika asked, peeking her head into Osamu's room. "Are you okay?"

She already knew the answer—he was hunched over, hands covering his face as numerous scraps of balled up paper littered the room. His hair still retained the bed head from this morning, and the way he was heavily breathing sounded like he was fighting tears.

"…Osamu…maybe you should take a break," she suggested, slowly walking towards him. "I…I don't want you to overwork yourself."

"…'m fine…" he mumbled, not moving an inch.

"…I don't believe you," Chika replied, increasing her pace until she stood before his desk. "I'm worried about you, Osamu. I just want you to be happy…and I think we need to talk about this."

Osamu sighed as he leaned back in his chair and and looked up at the ceiling, his glasses tinting dangerously. "There's nothing else to talk about," he murmured, "I told you everything. It's just a matter of me getting over myself."

"I don't think it's about you 'getting over yourself' Osamu," Chika insisted, "I…I understand that it must be stressful, dealing with Yuma and I—"

"N-no! It's not that!" Osamu replied hastily, snapping his head back to Chika. "It's just…"

Chika sighed and walked around Osamu's desk, startling the glasses-clad brunette. "W-what are you doing?" he asked, confusion replacing his exhaustion.

Then, without thinking, Chika wrapped her arms around him.

It wasn't as smooth as she had hoped. Due to the fact that the distance between her and Osamu was larger than she had first anticipated because he was sitting down, it resulted in her more falling on top of him and holding on for support than actually hugging him.

"Chika, are you okay?" Osamu asked, wondering what just happened. "Did you just—"

"It'll be okay, Osamu-kun," Chika murmured into his chest, "I mean it…I trust you and your ability to lead us as a team." She held him tighter. "It's why we chose you, after all."

There was such a long pause that Chika was afraid that Osamu was going to push her off, until she felt two hands lift her up and sit her upright.

…on Osamu's lap.

"O-Osamu—!" Chika sputtered, her face feeling like it had burst into flames.

"I'm sorry Chika," Megane-kun apologized, "for being so… _difficult_. It's not you or Yuma's fault, I guess I just need to trust myself more…but thank you for putting up with me."

It took Chika a second to register what Osamu just said due to the fact that she was _sitting on his lap_ , but she got over herself with a shake of her head. "Like I said, it's going to be okay," she said with a smile, laying her head on his shoulder.

 _He's so warm…_ she thought, unconsciously nuzzling into the cook of his neck.

"Eh…? Thank you…?"

Now Chika was absolutely certain that her face actually _had_ caught fire. "I-I didn't mean to say that o-out loud! Uh…um…"

Osamu merely laughed and placed his hand on her head, drawing her back to her shoulder. "It's okay," he murmured, "I don't mind."

And just like that the embarrassment vanished. All it left behind was a good feeling as she curled up on Osamu's lap and involuntarily closing her eyes, letting him wrap his warm, protective arms around her and lull her to sleep.

* * *

"Mikumo, have you seen Chi—"

Reiji stopped short and raised an eyebrow at the scene before him.

The very person he was looking for was curled up in a little ball, sound asleep on an equally unconscious looking Osamu's lap. The green-eyed brunette had wrapped one arm around her waist as his other slowly ran his fingers through her hair, eyes closed and a peaceful smile gracing his lips.

It was a bit creepy, in Reiji's opinion.

After snapping a quick picture on his phone, Reiji tried again to catch the Megane-kun's attention. "Mikumo?"

Osamu jumped slightly, apparently not as unconscious as Reiji first thought. "O-Oh, hi Reiji-san…"

"…I was going to ask you where Chika was so she can come to training," Reiji stated, "but I've changed my mind. She can use a day off."

The veteran Border agent was amused by the way Osamu's face reddened. "S-sorry, Reiji-san…I didn't realize how late it was…"

"Don't worry about it," Reiji said with a shrug. "You two look pretty comfortable. Sorry for disturbing you."

Osamu's face grew even redder as Reiji left, a wisp of a smile on the sempai's face.

"O…Osamu-kun…" Chika murmured, stirring slightly.

The glasses-clad brunette smiled. "It's okay," he whispered, "just go back to sleep."

She shifted a little more, and Osamu realized she _was_ still asleep, and most likely dreaming.

"Osamu… _Osamu-kun_!"

Megane-kun's arms latched on to Chika on instinct when she lashed out suddenly, and he noticed that tears started to form in her eyes.

"Wake up Chika," he said, shaking her lightly. "It's just a dream…"

Suddenly she shuddered, and the poor girl curled up on herself as she murmured five words that made the brunette boy's heart stop.

" _P-please don't let me go…_ "

 _I killed you_.

"Chika!" he said a little louder, shaking her again. "Chika wake up!"

Chika then jerked awake, eyes wide and frantic. "Osamu-kun!?"

"I'm right here," he soothed as she began to sob, pulling her close and gently rocking back and forth. "I'm never letting go…"

They sat there for an undecipherable amount of time, until Chika finally began to calm down—she ceased her shivering, and her sobs became quieter and quieter until they were nothing more than occasional hiccups and sniffles.

"I'm sorry…" she murmured, "I got your shirt all wet…"

Osamu looked down and belatedly realized she was right. "It's nothing," he said flippantly, "Are you okay?"

She sniffled again, relaxing slightly. "Yeah," she replied with a small smile, "just a nightmare…that's all…"

 _Please don't let me go…_

"Oh! I need to meet up with Reiji-san to train!" Chika exclaimed, "I…Osamu-kun?"

Without realizing it, Osamu had tightened his grip on Chika. "He came in earlier, actually," he stated, "he was looking for you, but…he changed his mind and gave us a day off."

"…really?" Chika asked dubiously, cocking her head to the side.

Then a terrifying thought occurred.

"Did…d-d-did he see us…you know…" she gestured around the two of them, conveying the obvious.

Osamu felt his face warm up. "Uh…yeah…" he admitted, "…that's kinda what made him change his mind…"

At first, Chika felt like she'd die of embarrassment, but then she realized she didn't mind it all that much. Though…

"I should get up," she said, "You're bound to be uncomfortable by now…how long was I asleep?"

Osamu glanced at the clock on his desk, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Um…roughly an hour and a half…?"

"I'm sorry!" Chika apologized, shifting to move. "You're probably uncomfortable by now! Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Megane-kun was about to deny it and pull Chika back into him, but then the need to relieve himself suddenly kicked him in the gut. "Uh…yeah, actually…"

Chika scrambled off of him, and Osamu straightened his shirt. "I'll be right back—maybe we can go out and do something since we now have a day off?"

 _…_ _go out_?

"Um…sure…" Chika agreed reluctantly, a prominent blush visible on her cheeks.

As cute as Osamu thought it was, he nodded again and had to physically restrain himself from running all the way to the bathroom.

* * *

"Who gave you the right to give our kouhais the day off!?" Konami fumed, thoroughly pissed off at Reiji's lack of a response.

"They've all been a little tense lately," Reiji answered just as stoically, "and they wouldn't take it if Kuga was still training—it'd make them feel like they're falling behind."

"He's right," Kyosuke agreed, "They'd refuse on principle. Just let them have some fun today."

Konami threw her hands up in the air and sighed. "Fine," she finally said, " _just_ because Osamu's been the walking dead and it's annoying."

"I'm only agreeing because of the cute picture Reiji took of them both sleeping," Kyosuke stated bluntly.

"Nice try!" Konami smirked, "I'm _not_ falling for…that…"

Reiji held up his phone, showing his kouhai peacefully snuggling with Kyosuke's.

"… _THAT PERVERTED MEGANE-KUN!_ " Konami raged, "How _DARE_ he take advantage of little Chika!"

"Konami, I highly doubt that—" Reiji started.

" _THERE YOU ARE_!" the woman roared, jumping towards a now relieved and unaware Osamu.

"Oh, KonA _MI-SEMPAI—!_ " the Megane-kun's voice raised with terror as Konami half tackled him and put him in yet another headlock.

"I-I didn't do anything, I swear!" Osamu choked, pawing at his sempai's unyielding grip.

After a few moments of abuse later, Konami finally released her grip. "Just go enjoy your day off, Megane-kun," she muttered, crossing her arms. "And change your shirt—it's all wet and gross!"

"T…thank you K-Konami-sempai…" Osamu stammered, holding his sore neck.

"Osamu-kun?" Chika asked, making her way down the stairs. When she saw the brunette gasping for air, her eyes widened. "Are you okay? What happened?"

She went to go help him up, but Konami intercepted her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, "Did Osamu take advantage of you!?"

"W-what!?"

"Konami, I told you he was just holding her," Reiji explained again, shaking his head. "He wouldn't do that."

"D-do what?" the bespectacled brunette demanded, straightening his glasses.

Konami turned on him, eyes on fire. "Take advantage of Chika of course!"

Osamu's eyes widened in pure shock as his jaw dropped in disbelief. "I-I would _never_ —!"

"It was my fault!" Chika blurted, "I took advantage of him!"

All sound in the room ceased.

"…C-Chika…" Reiji stammered, "I'm not sure you know exactly what that means…"

"Didn't you guys know?" Kyosuke asked, "They've been sleeping together for a while now."

" _WHAAAAT!?_ " Konami screeched, "OSAMU WHAT THE _HELL!?_ HOW _DARE_ YOU TAINT CUTE LITTLE CHIKA LIKE THAT!?"

"I-I— _what_!?" Osamu sputtered, unable to keep a cohesive thought.

"That's bullshit," Reiji stated calmly.

"Of course it is," Kyosuke replied, "I'm sorry."

Another pregnant pause.

" _GOODDAMMIT GUYS!_ " Konami roared, locking her hands around Osamu's throat once more.

"I-I didn't do it though!"

She once again freed them, and Osamu edged away from her, still trying to catch her breath.

"S-sorry…" Chika murmured, averting her eyes.

"Alright, you guys go on before Konami kills him," Reiji said, ushering the two kouhais to the door.

"B-but what about Yuma?" Osamu asked as they were being shooed out, "We were going—"

"He already went out," Konami huffed, "You two are on your own. But Osamu if you _dare_ —!"

"He _won't_ ," Kyosuke sighed, "You guys better hurry, she's getting worked up again.

The Megane-kun didn't have to be told twice. "Come on, Chika," he said, grabbing her hand and almost dragging her out of the room.


	3. Beautiful

"Thanks for buying lunch, Osamu-kun," Chika said, happily munching on some white rice as they sat in a beautiful park to eat lunch and pass the time on their day off.

"Don't worry about it," Osamu replied, "We kinda left in a hurry, so it's not your fault that you left your wallet."

Chika smiled as she looked around the park the two of them were relaxing in. It was sunny with a few clouds overhead, a pleasantly cool breeze whispering around the two of them. It was peaceful, making it easy to forget the stress of everything else in their lives.

"I wonder where Yuma is," Osamu mused out loud, "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Chika assured him, subconsciously lying her head on his shoulder. "It's Yuma, after all."

Osamu smiled down at her, making her cheeks grow warm. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed, "And I guess it's nice, it just being the two of us…"

The two of them enjoyed the beautiful scenery around them, unaware of the hell that will soon break loose and shatter the illusion of peace.

"Hey, where's—"

"Shhh!" Konami chastised, pushing Jin as they and the rest of Tamakoma-1 relaxed in front of a rom-com forced on them by Reiji of all people. "We're watching a movie!"

"Hey Jin," Kyosuke greeted, eyes still trained on the TV. "Everything good back at HQ?"

"Oh yeah," Jin replied flippantly, "But I was wondering where Tamakoma-2 was."

"…they're out," Reiji replied, pausing the movie and checking the time on his phone. "They have been for a while now."

Jin's face paled, his smile faltering a bit. "Where are they?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

"I'm not sure where Yuma went, but Osamu and Chika are out at the park I think," Konami answered, "Jin, what's going on? You look like you're about to pass out."

"It's nothing," Jin replied, laughing unconvincingly. "I'm gonna head back to HQ to bother Tachikawa-san."

"But you just got here—" Konami argued, though Jin was already out the door.

Chika's head snapped up from the food she was eating. "They're here."

"Wha—?" Osamu couldn't finish his question when the sirens went off—

" _Warning, Gate activity outside Forbidden Zone_ ," a voice overhead boomed as a siren flared all around the park, " _Civilians are to evacuate immediately. Warning—_ "

" _Here?!_ Chika, we need to go—!" he shouted over the blaring sirens, grabbing Chika's hand and bolting from the bench right as the gate opened right where they were previously sitting.

"What the—?"

"Osamu wait!"

She tugged him back right as another gate opened before them, causing the two of them to stumble back and almost trip as yet _another_ gate opened behind them.

"What's happening?!" she asked as they ran, dodging gates one by one.

"I don't know," Osamu huffed as they ran, "Trigger, _On_!"

He transformed just in time for a Vander to surge from one of the many portals that had completely decimated the park. Taking Chika in his arms, he jumped out of the way of it's beam before it could do any damage.

"Chika, activate your trigger!" he said as he practically danced about to avoid more gates, "If you get hit at least you'll get a second chance to—"

He was interrupted when what looked like a bolt of lightning shot out from the Vander, hitting him in the shoulder. He stumbled and fell as pain lanced through his body, causing him to drop Chika. Luckily she had changed to her Trion body while he was distracted, and after rolling a short distance she stood up unharmed.

"Osamu!?" she asked, rushing to her side. "Did you get…hit…?"

Osamu removed his hand from his injured shoulder and stared at his blood soaked hand in horror. "What the…?"

Chika suddenly yanked on his good arm, and he rolled out of the way of another gate.

"Osamu!?" a voice suddenly crackled through his comm.

"Usami-sempai what's going _on_!?" Osamu demanded, holding his injury as he and Chika continued to evade more and more gates. He noticed that some of the older ones were starting to disappear, and other than the Vander that first appeared no other neighbors that he knew of were present.

"We're not sure yet," Usami-sempai replied anxiously, "but by the looks of things the gates are appearing _only_ around you two and I have _no_ idea why—but Tamakoma and Kazama squads are on their way to help."

"I…I don't think there's much they could do…" Osamu muttered as he began to feel dizzy from blood loss. "There's a new type…it harms the physical body—"

Right as he said that the Vander shot again, hitting him straight in the chest.

He choked as he fell to the ground, holding his gushing wound as air refused to fill his lungs. Chika stopped and ran towards him, eyes wide in fear.

"Osamu, you have to—"

The Vander shot again and Osamu gathered enough energy summon his shield, concentrating it at his chest. Luckily it was just strong enough to make it ricochet and hit a nearby tree, setting it on fire.

"Osamu!?" Usami asked, "Osamu are you okay!? Did you say it hurts the _actual_ body!?"

"Y…yeah…it does…" he replied weakly, struggling to stand. That Vander _had_ to go—he should have taken it out beforehand, but now it was going to be nearly impossible.

Nearly, but not quite.

"Asteroid!" he shouted, extending his hand and shooting Trion directly at it's eye. It moved his head at the last second, but one bullet grazed it's weak point, causing it to stumble back. It lit up to shoot out another bolt, but lthe wound was serious enough to make the eye malfunction and explode, reducing it to ash.

 _Ash_ …?

As he expected, another Vander came through another gate, but instead of shooting a lightning bolt it simply charged towards the two of them, faster than any other Vander Osamu had seen before.

"Chika, _run_!" he shouted as he attempted to stand, only to collapse and grip at his chest.. The Vander approached with every second, and he knew that he couldn't run, not with his injuries. Even if he deactivated his trigger, he knew they would remain—otherwise he wouldn't be _bleeding out_ like he was now.

But he wasn't about to hold Chika back from escaping.

"I-I'm not _leaving_ you here!" Chika exclaimed, grabbing him and letting him lean on her. "We- we can make it—"

"H- _how_?!" he demanded, then brought his hand to his mouth and coughed violently. When he drew his gloved hand back, it was bloody. "…We're _surrounded_ , I can't run, and these new types will kill us before we can Bail Out—"

 _The Bail Out Function_!

How could he forget!? The enemy's weapons may hurt their real bodies, but _their own_ weapons couldn't…

"We…have to _try_!" she insisted, grunting as she continued to drag Osamu. "We can't just—"

"Chika, I have an idea," Osamu choked out, "Bail Out, _now_!"

"I-I'm not _leaving_ you here!" the girl cried, grunting as she continued to drag the bespectacled boy. "Osamu, _please_ —"

"We won't be able to make it like this!" he snapped, "Bail Out!"

Chika tripped and fell, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground.

"C…come on…Osamu-kun…" she sniffled, shouldering him once again. "Please…we can't…"

"Chika," he said seriously, "Do you trust me?"

"Wha—of course I do!" she shouted back, "Osamu-kun, _please_ come **_on_** —!"

She couldn't finish her sentence because she found Osamu's raygust imbedded in her chest.

"…O…Osamu….kun…?"

 _Trion Limit Exceeded._

 _Bail Out._

"I'm sorry…"

Osamu fell over without her support just as the Vander reached him, and the last thing he saw was Chika vanishing in a brilliant ray of green, and then darkness.

"We're too late," Kazama muttered, surveying the damage around the park.

There was so much damage that you couldn't even tell that it was a park before—there were so many holes from where gates appeared near the ground that any and all vegetation was destroyed, as well as any concrete walkways that had been present before the attack. To help with the somber tone, the once partially sunny sky had turned overcast, mirroring the dreary emptyness of the once lively park.

"It looks like the Forbidden Zone…" Kikuchihara muttered, surveying the destruction. "Were there any civilians harmed?"

"I don't think so, no," Mikami replied through the comm, "there have been no civilian casualties. The only known casualty was Osamu Mikumo—though Usami-san says that when his Trion signature disappeared, she couldn't see his physical body or trigger as if he was captured."

"Damn four eyes…" Konami muttered, wiping her eyes furiously.

"Don't worry, Konami-sempai," Karasuma stated, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him, no matter what."

"I know that!" she replied indignantly, "It's just annoying that he keeps risking his stupid life!"

Meanwhile Yuma stared at a particular hole in the ground, right between what looked like Vander footprints.

"…How are you doing?" a voice suddenly asked behind him, though the Neighbor refused to turn his head.

"…I've been better," he replied, not taking his eyes off the hole. "You better have been right—I know how tricky your Side Effect can be."

"I know," Jin replied, moving to stand beside him. "Just…trust me. Please."

"I do," Yuma affirmed, "It's just annoying that Osamu has to be so…"

Jin raised an eyebrow. "So what?"

Yuma stood there for a moment, thinking of the right wording to use. "…Selfishly selfless."

"That's an oxymoron," Jin replied with a sad smile, "but it fits him perfectly—he _is_ a sucker for those in need, after all."

"That he is," Yuma agreed, "That he is…"

Despite Jin's reassurance, the Neighbor couldn't help the uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach staring at the abandoned pair of glasses lying destroyed and desolate in a hole in the ground of what was once a beautiful park.


	4. Guilt

**Ack, I keep forgetting to put pagebreaks...gomen ;A; now its all better :D read on and don't forget to review ;)**

* * *

When Tamakoma-1 made it back to HQ, Reiji made a beeline to the Tamakoma-2 squad room—where Chika no doubt ended up in after bailing out—only to be intercepted by Jin.

"I know you're worried," he said, "but Yuma made the same mistake you're about to and scared her out of her wits. Usami-san's in there right now trying to calm her down, so she should be okay for the time being."

"Did your Side-Effect tell you that?" Reiji demanded, clenching his fists. "I need to see if she's alright—"

"Reiji," Jin interrupted, an uncharacteristically stern look engraved on his face. "Barging in there won't help. She needs _time_ , okay? She may have just lost one of her closest friends the same way she lost her brother, so she's _not_ going to be ' _alright'_."

Reiji stammered in vain to come up with an argument, but he knew deep down he was right.

"We'll see what the future holds, okay?" Jin asked, his trademark smile back in place as he patted Reiji's muscular shoulder.

"You mean _you'll_ see what the future holds?" Reiji muttered, shrugging him off and turning away.

"Ah, I'm sorry…" the power elite apologized, "I keep forgetting that's my burden to bear and mine alone."

The other Tamakoma agent sighed, feeling the guilt start to build. "…I'm sorry Jin," he stated, turning back to the power elite. "I…I didn't mean that."

"It's alright, really," Jin replied nonchalantly, "It's not like you're wrong."

"But—"

"—I figured you'd show up sooner rather than later," a third voice interrupted, exiting Chika's room. "And that's perfectly understandable, seeing as Chika-chan is your kouhai…"

"How is she?" Reiji asked immediately as Usami closed the door behind her.

"…I don't think she's going to get a good night's sleep for a long while," Usami admitted, crossing her arms and sighing. "She keeps saying every time she closes her eyes she either sees Osamu or her brother, who was _also_ was captured by neighbors…it must be rough having it happen again— _seeing_ it must be _heartbreaking_ …"

She removed her glasses and wiped her eyes, and Reiji wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Should we stay here or take her back to Tamakoma?" he asked, "She might feel safer here at HQ, but—"

"I want to go back to Tamakoma."

The three jumped as Chika stood at the door, a shadow cast over her guarded face.

"A-are you sure?" Usami asked, quickly putting her glasses back on and kneeling down to her height. "I mean, nothing's been decided yet—"

"I want to go back to Tamakoma."

Usami blinked, not entirely sure to respond. "W-well…if that's what you want, then we can have that arranged."

"…thank you."

The Tamakoma operator nodded slowly. "Do you want to go now, or—?"

"Now…please."

The three Tamakoma agents glanced worriedly at each other. "If you say so," Usami sighed, standing back up. "Jin, do you mind talking to Director Rindo about…"

"Leave it to me," Jin replied, saluting as he walked off. "You two take Chika home and make sure she's nice and comfortable."

"Will do," Reiji said, bowing his head slightly. "And—"

"—you don't need to be sorry," the power elite interrupted, "really."

Usami cocked her head to the side in confusion, but Reiji just shook his head. "Let's get going."

* * *

"I'll notify Border that the Rank Wars are off again," Director Rindo said, putting out his cigarette. "There's no way Chika—or Yuma for that matter—are mentally able to continue, at least for the time being."

"Of course," Jin agreed, "especially Chika—after having _two_ loved ones captured, she wouldn't want to continue training, let alone actually fighting in the Rank Wars…"

"That must be rough…" Konami murmured, picking at her curry. "Losing _two_ people the same way? That's just—"

"Osamu's _not_ dead," Kyosuke interrupted firmly, "he may not be strong, but he's smart. He'll be fine."

Konami eyed the usually stoic all-rounder with worry. She had forgotten that Osamu was— _is_ —Kyosuke's kouhai. "…of course," she agreed, diverting her eyes. "I'm sorry."

A wail pierced the tense atmosphere around them, and Reiji stood. "Usami, you should get some sleep. I'll keep Chika company."

"But Reiji you still need sleep too," Usami insisted, "I'm used to operating on half an hour of sleep, it'll be fine!"

However, her words went unheeded as Reiji made his way up to Chika's room.

* * *

 _Chika, do you trust me?_

 _Of_ course _I do!_

"Not anymore, you jerk…" she mumbled into her pillow as she curled up into a ball, trying but failing to force the tears back. She figured she shouldn't be surprised—she _is_ thankful for Osamu saving her life, but as usual he gave little to no regard to his _own_ life. Did he realize how much _worse_ she's off because of it?

 _Would he feel the same if it was the other way around?_

The door opened slowly, and Chika looked up and saw the familiar hulking figure of her sempai peeking into the room. "Chika?"

"H-hi…Reiji-sempai…" she whispered, hiding her face in her pillow. "S-sorry…I didn't mean to—"

"There's nothing for you to feel sorry about," Reiji interrupted, softly closing the door behind him. "…do you want to talk, or…?"

"…can I have a hug?" she asked meekly, her face warming a bit. "I…I don't want to be alone anymore."

Reiji took a deep breath, feeling his heart shatter into pieces. "Of course," he replied, walking over and sitting down on her bed. His kouhai leaned into him, and he wrapped a warm protective arm around her small frame as she began to cry.

"I'm sorry…" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry…"

"It'll be okay," Reiji murmured, pulling her close. "Don't worry…"

And so the two of them sat there until Chika eventually cried herself to sleep, although Reiji refused to leave her there alone—thus he stayed there with her until the sun rose the next day, not getting a wink of sleep.

* * *

"Yuma."

The neighbor didn't turn to the power elite as he stared at the sun rising from the rooftop of Tamakoma HQ. "Jin."

There was a terse pause, and then Jin sighed in resignation. "…I'm sorry."

"…you have nothing to be sorry about," Yuma replied, refusing to meet Jin's gaze. "You were just doing your job. One person's life isn't worth millions of others."

"That doesn't excuse not telling you the whole truth," Jin insisted, "I—"

"You got Osamu killed," Yuma stated, finally turning to the power elite. "You have enough guilt with the blood on your hands _without_ my wrath."

Jin looked like he'd been slapped. "H-he's not dead yet," he replied, "You don't know—"

"That's the problem," Yuma interrupted, "You _don't know_. He could die, he could come back, he could be _tortured_ , he could be lost forever in the Neighborhood, _you don't know_. So unless you _do_ know otherwise, you have live with what you did as if he's already dead."

"You can't have _that_ little faith in Osamu," the power elite shot back, narrowing his eyes. "You know how he is—he thinks his way out of everything. I _know_ you wouldn't give up on him that easily."

"Of course not," Yuma answered, "I'm confident Osamu can make it out okay—but that doesn't mean you get to walk away blameless. You have to live with the fallout of Osamu's absence—and the damage done to him when he comes back."

 _You live with what you did as if he's already dead._

"You don't think I know that?" Jin asked, clenching his fists. "I care about Osamu as well—I had to weigh the risks of _another_ large scale invasion with thousands of casualties against one of my _friends_ —"

"I understand that," Yuma replied quickly, "I wasn't accusing you of anything. Like I said, you're just trying to do your job and make the best out of a horrible situation. I know you said you have to live with what you did, but that doesn't mean you have to live with it alone."

And just like that, the tension vanished. "…what?"

Yuma sighed, once again averting his eyes. "…I was there," he admitted finally, "when Osamu got captured…I could have saved them and threw your future out of proportion, but I didn't. I waited in the park to see it happen, probably to stop it from happening—I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. But just so you know I feel responsible as well—I _know_ I am—and it's not just you that has to bear that burden."

Jin stood there dumbfounded as Yuma walked passed him back into the building. "Don't worry about Osamu," Yuma said as he opened the door to leave, "like you said, he thinks his way out of everything. I'm sure he'll be fine."

With that, he left Jin staring at the rising sun, a ghost of a sad smile on his face.

"I knew you were going to say that," he murmured, "I just wish my Side-Effect would as well."

* * *

The world warped back into existence as Osamu cracked an eye open, his entire body throbbing painfully as he struggled to breathe.

 _…_ _what happened?_

His memories answered the question for him—flashes of the fight in the park brought Osamu back into painful reality. He tried to move, but he realized his wrists were chained to the wall behind him, and his chest felt surprisingly numb despite knowing he had severe injuries before. The room looked whitish in color, but he all he could make out was a dark blob in what he guessed was the opposite corner of the room because his glasses weren't on his face like they should be.

Osamu sighed in exasperation. Escaping would be much harder since he can't see…

His thoughts were interrupted by his glasses being placed on his forehead.

"You're in an experimental facility in Tharsis, in case you were wondering" a bored and disinterested voice said, startling the green-eyed brunette. He couldn't see where it came from, but it sounded like was directly behind him.

"Tharsis…" Osamu repeated, surprised that the voice willingly told him where he was being kept. He wracked his brain for an earlier instance of hearing that name—but coming up short.

"Yep," the voice affirmed, "Don't worry, we don't experiment on people, just triggers…though the other girl that was with you has _phenomenal_ amount of Trion…"

 _Don't react._ "Is that why you came to Meeden?" Osamu asked, forcing his voice to stay level. He needed to get as much information as possible. "Because of the Trion?"

"Not even close," the helpful voice replied, "I mean, we felt the girl's Trion was _huge_ , but that's the polar _opposite_ of what we're—"

She stopped abruptly, and Osamu knew she was going to say something important.

"Of what you were looking for?" he asked, trying not to sound excited.

"…I need to go," she said suddenly, standing and leaving. "My boss will be _furious_ if he found out I was in here."

"W-wait—!" Osamu tried, but loud footsteps faded out of existence. A loud _bang_ that sounded like a large door slamming shut made the boy's shoulders sag. They were gone.

Sighing heavily, Megane-kun surveyed his cell again. He realized that the walls looked like they were made of Trion, as were the chains binding him to the wall behind him (which confused Osamu—where'd that person go?). He gave an experimental tug, and suddenly a burning pain seared his wrists. When he stopped resisting, the pain subsided.

"Damn it…" he cursed, finding nothing else in the bare cell. Even if he _did_ get his chains off, there was no way for him to escape. He had no idea where his trigger was, or if he was actually in his Trion body _now_ —Tharsis technology seemed to disregard Trion bodies altogether, so the pain in his wrists really couldn't be an indicator (then again, after another once-over he saw that he was not in his Trion body uniform, but what looked like hospital scrubs—he figured he was most likely in his regular body).

Osamu's abdomen began to throb from what he assumed were his previous injuries. _I guess they weren't as healed as I had thought_ …he thought with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as the pain followed him into unconsciousness.


	5. Crossroads

"Mornin' sunshine!"

Osamu snapped awake, head whipping towards the source of the voice only to be met by the same, blurry wall behind him from before (when he fell asleep his glasses slipped off his face, and with his bound hands he couldn't pick them up for the life of him).

"W-where are you?" he asked, still confused as he looked around wildly.

"Ah, had a nice nap I see," the female voice laughed, and suddenly a darker blur came from behind to stand before him.

And then suddenly came back into focus when the blur set his glasses back on his face.

The blur morphed into what looked like a blonde, middle-aged woman (she _is_ a neighbor, so there's no guessing how old she really is) wearing a loose, flowing black robe that flitted about bare feet. Her eyes were what made Osamu certain she wasn't human—the whites of her eyes were blood red while her irises were a bright blue.

"…who are you?"

The woman laughed out loud, making the green-eyed brunette jump slightly. "Dr. Mariposa, at your service," she said with an exaggerated bow, " _you_ are my latest experiment—well technically your _trigger_ is, so I guess you're more my guinea pig or test subject."

Osamu instinctively leaned back as the woman stepped forward. "Poor thing, you look confused…" she cooed, "Everything will be explained in due time, so don't you worry yourself, okay _Four-Eyes_?"

The normally endearing nickname felt wrong, causing chills to crawl on his back.

"…don't call me that," Osamu muttered, averting his eyes.

"Well what _am_ I supposed to call you, _Four_ —"

"Osamu," he practically spat, "call me Osamu…please."

Dr. Mariposa raised an eyebrow, grinning widely. "Well, since you said _please_ …" she purred, "I'll grant your request…you can make up for it by accompanying me to my lab so I can start some tests-I mean, you still owe me for making new glasses for you... _Four-Eyes_."

The brunette felt his lip curl in irritation.

"Alright, I'll stop," Dr. Mariposa laughed good-naturedly, "So stop snarling at me like that."

Suddenly Dr. Mariposa reached _through_ the wall and grabbed the two chains and pulling them towards her, causing Osamu to stumble towards her without the extra support. She put the two chains together and they fused at the ends, giving another tug. The burning sensation came back, causing the brunette to bite back a cry of pain.

"There we go!" the woman said cheerfully, "Now come on—to the lab with you!"

Something stirred within Osamu as he was lead like an animal to the slaughterhouse, but he forced himself to push it down. Now wasn't the time to get upset (no matter how warranted it was), he needed figure out how to escape—he knew Chika made it back okay, but he can't do much if he's stuck here and these Neighbors decide to launch a large scale invasion or even bring even _one_ of those "Trion" soldiers that have the potential to actually _harm_ someone's actual body…

Another yank on the chain brought him out of his thoughts as pain lanced through his wrists. Sighing, Osamu continued on the woman's way.

* * *

"All you want me to do is activate my trigger?"

Dr. Mariposa nodded eagerly behind the Trion wall. "We just want to see what happens!"

Osamu looked dubiously at his modified trigger. "What did you do to it?" he questioned, "I mean…do you have experience with Meeden triggers?"

"Of _course_ I do!" Dr. Mariposa replied indignantly, "I-I've read up on—"

"You don't have any experience, do you?" Osamu deadpanned.

He heard a groan of frustration as well as something hitting a hard surface (probably her fist and a table). "No," she grit out, "and I won't _ever_ have any if you don't activate your damn trigger!"

The Megane-kun rolled his eyes. He knew that there was so much he could do to stall. "Alright," he muttered, holding the trigger to his chest. "Trigger, _on_!"

He really wished he'd stalled a bit longer.

An agonizing burning sensation shocked his body, and Osamu let out a bloodcurdling scream as he collapsed to his knees. He felt his Trion trying to manifest itself, but something kept pushing the energy back, making him convulse feverishly as he clutched his trigger with bloodless knuckles. His veins felt like they pumped fire, and in his tormented delirium he threw the trigger across the room and watched it clatter against the wall.

That just made the pain worse.

It felt like a nail was hammered into his left hand, causing him to scream out a second time. His eyes blurred with tears, and his glasses clattered to the ground as his screams were cut off by coughs that violently racked his frame. Blood splattered onto the white floor, and the last thing Osamu heard before letting unconsciousness take him was the terrified screams of his captors.

* * *

"Reiji-sempai."

Reiji jumped when he turned to Chika sitting up, staring at the door. "…how long have you been up?" he asked, stifling a yawn as he stood. "You must be—"

"Was it a nightmare?"

The All-Rounder sighed, figuring this would happen. "…Chika-chan…"

His face must have said it all, because tears had began to fall down her cheeks. "…oh," she replied, looking down at her hands. "…I thought it was a nightmare…"

She began to cry, but when Reiji reached a hand out to her she turned and got out of bed. "I-I should get ready for training," the girl stammered, walking briskly to the door.

"Chika, you don't have to train," Reiji replied hastily, "They've postponed the Rank Wars for now, so—"

"But I need to train for when those Trion soldiers that took Osamu," she deadpanned, though she made no move to leave the room. "What if my brother faces them while being captured? What if—?"

" _Chika_ ," Reiji insisted, walking over to the now shaking girl and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Neither Osamu nor Rinji would want you to do anything reckless—"

"But I can't just wait idly either!" Chika burst out, pushing at Reiji's unmoving chest. "I-I have to do _something_! I have to protect everyone else so they don't…they don't…"

She fell silent, and when Reiji wrapped his arms around her she didn't fight back. "I know you're frustrated," he replied quietly, "and I can't say that I know your brother, but I _can_ say that I know Osamu well—he'd want only the best for you, to rest and wait for him to come back. I'm sure he wouldn't want you running yourself into the ground out of guilt—and he _definitely_ wouldn't want recklessly throwing your life away trying to save him."

"Like he did?"

Reiji stiffened against the girl, not expecting that answer. "…I'm not sure if that's—"

"He _stabbed_ me, Reiji-sempai," Chika muttered flatly, "He-he…he _hurt_ me…"

"He _saved_ you," Reiji corrected hastily, "He knew the bail-out function would—"

"What if we were in our regular bodies?" she asked, "What would he have done? Would he have still—"

" _Chika_ ," Reiji interrupted sternly, pulling her back and looking her directly in the eye. "Do _not_ go there. Osamu would _never_ physically hurt you—he did what he did because he _knew_ you'd be safe from harm. You can't have _that_ little faith in him—I won't _let_ you."

Chika took a shaky breath and laid her head on Reiji's chest. "…I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry about anything, Chika-kun," Reiji murmured, "it's not your fault—none of it is."

They stood there for a little while longer, when suddenly a loud growling noise rumbled between them.

"…we should go eat breakfast," Reiji murmured awkwardly, pulling back. "I still need to cook for everyone else too…"

Chika nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah…" she replied, "can I help?"

"Sure, why not?" Reiji shrugged, opening the door for her as they made their way downstairs. "I could use the help."

* * *

When they got downstairs, Jin was lounging on the couch. "Morning Jin," Reiji greeted as he and Chika made it into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"…I'm not hungry," was the emotionless response.

Reiji stopped in his tracks. "…are you alright?"

"…yeah…"

He glanced down at Chika, who stared back in confusion. "…I can make omelets," she murmured, "You should talk to him."

The All-Rounder nodded in agreement and walked back into the living area, getting a closer look at Jin—he had bags under his eyes, and his face had exhaustion written all over it as he slouched and crossed his arms on the couch. He wasn't even facing the TV, merely staring out into space.

"…Jin," Reiji started, only to be cut off by a dry laugh.

"I told you I'm fine, didn't I?" the power elite asked, still not meeting Reiji's eyes. "You don't have to—"

"Look me in the eye and say that."

Jin side-eyed him, only to look down. "Can't I at least pretend I'm okay?"

"No," Reiji replied bluntly, sitting beside him on the couch. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong is that you probably got less sleep than I did," Jin replied jokingly, finally meeting his gaze. "And I got _zero_ sleep—"

"It's your Side-Effect, isn't it?"

The Power Elite's grin vanished, and he averted his eyes to the ground.

"…is it about Osamu?" Reiji pressed, "What did you see?"

"I—" Jin sighed in exasperation and turned around just in time for Chika to poke her head into the room.

"The food's ready," she announced, smiling slightly. "Do you want anything with them?"

"Rice, please," Jin replied, plastering a fake smile on his face. "I haven't had _Omurice_ * in a long while…"

"Coming right up!" she said cheerfully, putting a smile on Reiji's face. She was like him—happiest when working or doing _something_ useful.

"Now Jin," he said, his smile disappearing. "What did you see?"

Jin's fake smile also vanished. "…Osamu…" he whispered, "…I fucked up. _Badly._ "

Reiji held up his hand, looking over his shoulder. Chika hadn't heard while she happily packed rice into the rice cooker. "Upstairs. Now."

"…right," the power elite nodded, sighing as he stood and stretched. "Boy do I have a story for you…"

"I'll be right there," Reiji promised, standing as well.

Jin nodded again, and Reiji sighed. "Chika, I'll be right back okay?"

"Okay!"

Reiji smiled again as he went upstairs to meet Jin. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the door to his room with a forlorn expression on his face.

"Okay Jin," Reiji said, sitting next to him. "What happened?"

Jin took a shaky breath, not sure how to start. "…I predicted Osamu's kidnapping two months ago."

"You _what!?_ " Reiji whispered harshly, "You—!?"

Jin flinched, and the redhead forced himself to take a deep breath. "Go on."

"I-I…there were so many futures," Jin explained hastily, "but most of them lead to another large-scale invasion—and not a single one of them did we win. Mikado City wiped out, civilians _butchered_ —hell, there was one where all of _humanity_ becomes _extinct_ —but there was one where we were left alone."

Reiji nodded slowly. "…and…?"

"…Osamu had to be captured," Jin stated, "I-it's not what I would have wished on him by _any_ means, but when a crossroad appears demanding blood, it'll get it one way or another—whether by millions of people or by one person."

The redhead's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Y…you sentenced Osamu to death?"

A tear fell down the power elite's cheek as he started to fall apart. "I wish it was as merciful as death," he whispered, "but…I know for a fact he'll be begging for it once the future comes."

Reiji couldn't believe his ears. "Jin…what have you done?"

"My job trying to find the best future for humanity…" Jin replied, eyes hollow and haunted. "…and I'm going to make sure that it's the one where Osamu dies."


	6. Pain

"Jin, what the hell happened to your face!?"

Jin laughed good-naturedly, accepting the ice pack from Konami and placing it on his now swollen eye. "I snuck up behind Reiji, thinking the possibility of him getting mad was slim…he just had to pick the most _unlikely_ future…"

Konami turned to Reiji, whose disposition felt like a massive hurricane forming only a mile off shore.

"Next time don't do something so stupid," he stated flatly.

Glancing between the two, Konami sighed as she continued to eat breakfast. "You should have known better, Jin…" she muttered, "I mean, Reiji didn't get to sleep last night because he was too busy comforting Chika-kun!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" Chika hastily apologized, "I-I didn't—"

"Don't worry about it," Reiji stated flatly, "I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway."

Chika looked down at her food, picking at it awkwardly as yet another Tamakoma agent made his way down the stairs.

"Oh, morning Yuma," Konami greeted as the neighbor took his seat next to Chika.

"Good morning," Yuma stated flatly.

Konami felt her eyebrow twitch. "Chika made breakfast this morning."

"…thank you Chika," he stated flatly.

Suppressing a growl, Konami decided to at least _try_ to start up a normal conversation.

"This is really good, Chika-kun!" Konami praised, taking another bite.

"T-thank you, Konami-sempai!" Chika thanked, bowing slightly. "T-though I feel like I overcooked them a little…"

"Don't worry, they're great!" the axe wielder insisted, nudging Reiji. " _Right_?"

"…they're good," Reiji stated flatly, "thank you."

"I agree," Yuma stated flatly.

"You two…" Konami heaved a sigh and pushed on. "…what are your plans for today?"

"I'm not sure," Chika murmured, "but I kind of wanted to train…"

"You don't have to," Reiji stated flatly, "like I said, you can take a break."

"Reiji is right," Yuma stated flatly, "You shouldn't overexert yourself too much."

"Exactly," Reiji stated flatly, "you—"

" _WHAT THE HELL IS WITH ALL THESE HALF ASSED RESPONSES!?_ " Konami roared, unable to take it anymore. " _WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS!?_ "

Everyone at the table flinched, eyes wide with terror as Konami continued on her rampage. " _JIN HAS A FUCKING_ _ **BLACK EYE**_ _AND YOU TWO ARE BEING SO FUCKING_ _ **PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE**_ _! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON_ _ **RIGHT NOW**_ _I SWEAR I WILL_ _ **KILL**_ _ **EVERY**_ _ **LAST**_ _ **ONE**_ _OF YOU!_ "

There was a long, tense silence while everyone contemplated her threat.

"…Chika, go get ready to train," Reiji stated flatly, which earned him a chopstick to the forehead that hardly fazed him. "I'll meet you in a few minutes."

"O-okay Reiji-sempai…" Chika replied uncertainly, taking her unfinished plate and putting it in the kitchen before taking off to the training room.

When she was gone, Konami huffed and glared at Reiji.

"…it has to do with Osamu, doesn't it?" she asked, "because why else would you send Chika out?"

"…Jin fucked up," Reiji stated flatly.

"I did what I _had_ to," Jin replied flatly.

" _STOP!_ " Konami practically shrieked, "You're doing it _again_! Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

Yuma sighed, also getting sick of the tense atmosphere. "Jin predicted Osamu's capture long before it actually happened," he stated flatly, picking at his food.

Konami stared at the power elite, who refused to meet her eyes. "…You're lying," she deadpanned, "You would have been able to—"

"It was him or the entire damn human _race_!" Jin snapped, slamming his fists on the table and standing abruptly. "Do you think I _wanted_ to get Osamu _killed_?!"

"You didn't _have_ to," Yuma replied coldly, "You said it yourself—there was _one_ future where he lived."

Now Konami was confused, turning on Jin with tears in her eyes. "S-so Osamu's _alive_?!"

Jin stood there, hands shaking as he glared down at the table. "…yes," he grit out finally, "but not for long."

"You told me not to underestimate Osamu-kun," Yuma pointed out, "and that's _exactly_ what you're doing right now."

"Wait wait wait…" Konami stammered, trying to get what was happening. "Y-you said 'Do you think that I wanted to get Osamu " _killed_ "', but Yuma just said that there's a future where he _lived_!?"

"…there are many futures," Jin admitted, "but almost all of them led to a large-scale invasion that we can _not_ win—everyone dies, _humanity_ dies—b-but there was one where Osamu could have survived and humanity wouldn't have been doomed…"

"Then why don't you choose _that_ one!?" Konami demanded, "If Osamu-kun can live—!"

"See, _that_ is what you guys have trouble understanding!" the power elite snapped, "Osamu would _survive_ , yes, but he wouldn't _live_. He wouldn't be the same, gentle Megane-kun you're used to having—the one who cared about everyone, who was selfless and always tries to find the best solution for _everyone_ —he'd practically be a completely different person…"

There was a tense pause as Jin's words sank in.

"…so what you're saying," Konami said slowly, "…is that Osamu is going to change completely? Like how?"

Jin took a deep breath and sat back down, running a hand through his hair. "…war changes people," he stated, looking down at the table forlornly. "I'm sure you noticed it, even here at Border—people switching from being fighters to being engineers or operators because they can't take it, the like. I mean look at Chika—poor girl can't shoot a person, for good reason…"

"Your point?" Reiji growled, his patience diminishing rapidly.

"What are you getting at Jin?" the axe-wielder demanded, "I mean, what does all that have to do with Osamu-kun?"

The power elite looked up at Konami, and for the first time she noticed how exhausted and upset he looked—nothing like the Jin she's used to. "…What I'm saying is that Osamu-kun's going to go through some things that'll… _change_ him, and _not_ for the better. I don't want him to go through that kind of pain—it would _break_ him."

"—and that's where you keep underestimating him," Yuma pointed out, "even _you_ were sure at first that he was going to make it out alive, but now you want him dead because you don't think that he can take the pain. Whether or not Osamu-kun can take it or not is not yours to decide."

"You don't _understand_!" Jin exclaimed, his voice pleading. "Osamu—he'll…he'll…"

Konami sat down, her hands shaking from the sheer amount of emotions running through her. "Jin…what are you not telling us?"

"You've hidden enough from us, haven't you?" Reiji put in, "Tell us why you want Osamu-kun killed."

"I…I…" Jin put his face in his hands and let out a shaky breath. "Osamu's…being used to experiment on a new type of trigger."

Reiji glanced at Yuma, who shook his head.

"…if you remember by the reports that the neighbors Osamu and Chika encountered harmed the normal body, disregarding the Trion body entirely," Jin explained, "well…the neighbors who took Osamu are testing a trigger that works the same way on him."

" _What!?_ " Konami screeched, "They—they're doing _experiments_ —"

"Yes," Jin interrupted, "problem is, they're doing it by modifying his Border trigger—something they have no experience with whatsoever—"

"—and it's causing him a world of pain," Yuma finished, "because they keep failing for some reason, and Osamu is the one who gets affected?"

"…yes," Jin replied, "I-I can't see far enough into that future to figure out what they're doing or if they succeed or not, but it…it gets ugly pretty fast."

"Do they…start trying to get information out of him?" Konami asked, "Like…you know…?"

"If you mean torture, then yes," the power elite admitted grimly, " _now_ do you understand? I-there's no reason for _anyone_ to go through that kind of pain…"

"…what would Osamu-kun say?"

The four of them jumped when Chika walked into the room, staring directly at Jin.

"C-Chika-kun—" Reiji started, but Chika paid him no heed.

"I think Yuma-kun is right," she continued, walking over to the power elite. "I understand that you don't want Osamu-kun to suffer, but I'm sure he'd be expecting us to believe in him when things get hard—he wouldn't want to take the easy way out."

"I've seen him _beg_ for _death_!" Jin snapped, "This—he _can't_ —"

"'Thank you for not letting me give up, Jin-san'," Chika interrupted calmly, "That's what he'll say when he comes back. You can't have _that_ little faith in Osamu-kun."

Jin averted his eyes, a shadow covering his face. "…I'm sorry," he whispered, "I…I just…"

"You just want Osamu-kun to be okay," Chika finished, "but you still have to balance saving the world as well—and I understand that. And I know that it's difficult having to actually _watch_ him suffer, but we _all_ have to to be strong for him—you included."

The tears came when Chika gently wrapped her arms around him, smiling sadly. "I'm not mad at you," she said, "You're just trying to do what's best for everyone, and that's admirable. So thank you."

Konami watched Jin become undone as he clutched the girl for dear life, his body quaking with sobs and sniffles. She admits that she had taken the Power Elite's Side-Effect for granted, and she never truly realized how stressful— _horrifying_ even—having so much power could be.

* * *

The days melted into weeks, then the weeks into months. Eventually Tamakoma-2 resumed Rank wars, but it wasn't the same. They fluctuated around, going from 4th to 6th and once even made it all the way down to 10th—but by the end of the season they settled down at 7th, much to Chika's dismay.

"For the last time," Kuga said, nudging her affectionately. "It's _not_ your fault."

The girl jumped slightly as she was thrust back into reality. She and Yuma were sitting atop of Tamakoma HQ, watching the few stars that glittered in the sky. It did little to help Chika's mood since there were so few due to all the artificial lights from the city—she wanted to see the night sky in all it' s glory, but instead only got the moon and the occasional flicker that may or may not be an airplane.

Feeling her mood dampen even more, she drew her legs into her and rested her head on her knees. "…it's _always_ my fault," she murmured, "I mean…he got captured because—"

"—because Osamu cares about you," Yuma interrupted, "I'm sure if he was here he'd probably pat your head and say not to worry or something like that. You can't blame yourself for him being such a sucker for those in need."

Chika thought for a moment, processing his words. "…yes, but…"

"You're worried about his future, aren't you?"

"I…" she couldn't deny it, so instead she sighed. "…yeah."

"I'm sure Jin means well," Yuma said, smiling wistfully. "It's annoying that there's no cliché, 'the future's never set in stone' or 'you can defy fate because screw the universe' crap…everything's cause and effect."

"Yeah…" Chika murmured in agreement, "…I caused him to be captured and now he's gone."

"The ones who _captured_ him are at fault," Yuma pointed out, "but be _cause_ of Osamu's fast thinking, you're okay—that's probably enough to keep him going."

Chika glanced up at her neighbor friend in confusion. "…what do you mean by that?"

Yuma raised an eyebrow, puckering his lips. "If you were captured," he explained, "he probably wouldn't be able to live with himself. The fact that he knows for sure you're safe would be enough for him to make it back safely—for _you_."

"I-It can't _just_ be me…" she stammered, blushing slightly. "He can't _possibly_ …"

The neighbor chuckled softly, staring back up at the sky. "Chika…" he murmured, "you make the stupidest lies…"

* * *

"…I owe you an apology."

Osamu didn't lift his head at the sound of Dr. Mariposa's voice, which was coming from beyond the Trion wall behind him holding his chains. He merely stared down at his glasses, which had once again fallen off his face and lay before him uselessly on the ground.

"…I don't know what I keep getting wrong," she continued, "I-it's been _months_ now, but I just can't seem to get it right, and I know that it hurts you every time I fail…if you'd just—"

"I'm not telling you anything," Osamu stated flatly, "keep torturing me all you like, but it's pointless."

"W-we're not _trying_ to torture you!" Dr. Mariposa insisted, "I-I'm trying to make my son stronger with this trigger, you see? The problem is—"

"It's not like I can help you," the brunette interrupted again, "I have as much experience with the mechanics of my trigger as _you_ do."

The doctor's blur appeared before him, and she picked up his glasses and placed them back on his face. "I'm sorry," she said finally, "I-I wasn't expecting to put you through so much pain—"

"You put me through enough when you first captured me," Osamu pointed out.

"My _son_ is responsible for that," she replied dryly, "I said to find me a suitable test subject, not invade a whole _country_ …the point _is_ , I'm sorry for putting you through so much unnecessary pain. But I need to get this thing right…so please."

"…fine," Osamu finally replied, and the doctor helped him to his feet and grabbed his chains from through the wall.

Then he saw his chance.

The doctor's grip had ever so slightly lessened on his bindings, and with a swift pull of his wrists they slipped from her grasp. She was a second too late to grab them, and Osamu took off to the other side of his cell, going straight for the wall.

It had the effect that he hoped it would.

Osamu sailed seamlessly through the Trion wall due to being in his human body, entering a blindingly white hallway. Gathering up his chains, he made a run for it when he heard Dr. Mariposa screaming for help. Due to the walls all being made of Trion, Osamu's depth perception was almost nonexistent as he ran practically blind into another room.

This one was different.

Instead of another empty room, Osamu stumbled into what looked like some sort of control room, with what looked like large computers and monitors showing yet another empty Trion room. It was unoccupied, but he heard footsteps rapidly approaching so he quickly scanned the room for something— _anything_ —to fight with.

And then he saw it.

It was his trigger, but when he reached for it he hesitated. Dr. Mariposa had made so many modifications to it, and every single one of them ended in him writhing in the floor in agony. However, there was no other weapon in the room for him to fight with—

He hesitated too long, and the next thing he knew a katana blade pierced cleanly through his chest.

"Troublesome bastard," an unfamiliar male voice grit out as the blade was ripped out of Osamu's chest, causing him to cry out and collapse onto the floor. "You're the reason my mother's so stressed out, huh?"

The brunette stubbornly held the trigger close to his heart as he bled out, ignoring the combat boot that kicked him in the ribs. "Well!?" the voice demanded, "Are you?"

"I…don't know…what you're—"

The boot kicked him again, causing Osamu to cough up blood that splattered on the once clean, white floor. "Shut up, stupid bastard!"

Closing his eyes in pain, Osamu figured that he should at least attempt to make one last ditch effort at escaping instead of letting whoever this person (most likely Dr. Mariposa's son, because he can't recall stressing out any other mothers besides his own) drag him back down into the hell he's been trapped in for far too long.

"You know, that chick with the fuckton of Trion probably wouldn't have been so _annoying_ ," the person spat, "and if she was, at least i'd have something to amuse myself with when my mom wasn't scrambling her insides with that stupid trigger project…"

 _Chika._

Osamu was never one to get angry—he was well known as a very patient person. It takes an infinite amount of stupidity to actually annoy him, and a very special kind of person to say some pretty specific thibgs to truly _anger_ him.

This person was a prime example.

Taking in a deep breath, Osamu reopened his eyes as determination and an unfamiliar, burning rage coursed through his body, his bloodied hand gripping the trigger tightly as he uttered two words.

" _Trigger…on._ "

* * *

 **Do you know how tempting it was to write "Fuck you" instead of "Trigger on?" VERY.**

 **Edit 9/21: Okay so I understand there's been some confusion about the timeskip in this section, so I put a little thing between Konami's and Osamu's point of view to clear it up, hope it kinda helps…(full timeline in Ch. 9)**


	7. Blood

Once the Raygust materialized in Osamu's hands, he moved purely on instinct.

The person lifted his leg to kick him again, but it went flying as the brunette sliced cleanly through the knee and rolled to his feet. Blood splattered onto his uniform—

 _Blood?_

Osamu almost dropped his weapon when his assailant's bloody leg rolled towards him, and the assailant himself let out a bloodcurdling scream as he held his new wound. Wide, terrified eyes whipped to his now bloody Raygust, and he resisted the urge to vomit.

 _Did…did I just…?_

His downwards spiral of regret was interrupted when Dr. Mariposa herself dashed into the room, screaming in horror when she saw the person on the ground. "M-Musca!?"

Musca, Osamu's assailant, reached a bloody hand to his mother. "Y…you…were right…"

 _This is…wrong_ , every single fiber of the brunette's being screamed, _this shouldn't be happening…!_

"That won't matter if you die here and now!" Dr. Mariposa exclaimed, and to Osamu's surprise when she lifted her left hand he saw a ring that looked similar to Yuma's black trigger. " _Disparador, encendido!_ "

The doctor wiped a tear off her face with a flourish, and a pair of bright, blue wings materialized behind her. A weapon that looked like a Kogetsu appeared in her hands, and Osamu's muscle memory kicked back in when she dove for him at lightning speed. He deflected the blow with Shield, but a sharp pain bit his chest where he was still wounded.

"I should have _known_!" she cried out, swinging at him again. "It's a _blood_ stone, it need s _blood_! Why didn't I think of that!?"

Osamu didn't have time to comprehend what she was saying as they fought, mainly due the fact that despite being in his Trion body, he was still bleeding out from his previous encounter with Musca. He clashed blades again, and instinctually shouted " _Asteroid!_ "

Dr. Mariposa jumped out of the way, but a stray bullet hit her in the shoulder.

" _Shit_!" she cursed, holding her now gushing wound.

 _This isn't right._

He hesitated again, just in time for an overly familiar katana blade rammed itself through his chest again a second time.

"Little…shit…" Musca huffed as Osamu collapsed again, holding his chest as blood spurted from his mouth.

The brunette glanced at Musca's discarded leg, then the glowing Trion substitute that held his assailant upright. _They can use Trion at will_ , he thought when he heard Dr. Mariposa stand up behind him.

"Take your trigger, sweetheart…" she murmured, and Osamu felt her grin like dozen spiders crawling on his back. "Then you can finally take Meeden like you always wanted."

 _I said to find me a suitable_ test subject _, not invade a whole_ country _._

"You…lied…" Osamu choked out, violently coughing up blood. "…you…said…"

" _I_ was telling the truth," Dr. Mariposa insisted, placing a hand on the brunette's head and ruffling it. "But my son wants a country, and it's a mother's duty to make sure he has the ability to do what he wants! It's his life after all, and he should be able to do what he wants with it!"

 _You should do what you want to…it's your life after all_ …

 _"_ _I want to go home"_ , Osamu murmured feverishly, his hand tightening around Raygust.

 _You look like you've found what you wanted to do._

Adrenaline surged through the bespectacled brunette, and with a war cry he swung his Raygust at Dr. Mariposa's outstretched arm, causing the woman to screech as it flopped messily onto the floor.

 ** _I'm not hesitating anymore_** **.**

Musca lunged forward and thrust his sword in retaliation, but Osamu was somehow faster. He parried easily, using his assailant's momentum to slip behind him and—without a second thought—plunged Raygust straight through Musca's back.

"Listen," he stated, holding Musca up as a shield, "because if you don't act fast, he's going to die."

Dr. Mariposa stopped short, eyes watering. "W-what makes you thing _you_ have the right to—"

 _This is wrong._

Osamu twisted his blade slightly, causing Musca to cry out in agony. "Your love for your son does," he replied, "if you weren't lying about letting him live his life, that is."

 _Why am I doing this?_

"…fine," the woman grit out, lowering her Kogetsu. "What the hell do you want?"

"You said we were on Tharsis," Osamu explained, ignoring the blood that was dripping onto his hands. "When will it approach Meeden again?"

Dr. Mariposa hesitated, and Osamu felt himself growing impatient. "He's bleeding out," he stated, twisting Raygust a little more and making Musca scream. "You shouldn't hesitate, or he'll die."

 ** _That's right._**

"…your imprudence has perfect timing," she grit out, "we're in orbit around Meeden right now—I had expected to be done with the trigger by now, and I was right. I've even told the personnel when we were going to land back on Meeden."

 ** _I want to go home._**

"And when is that?" Osamu questioned, idly wondering how he was able to keep standing so long—he was bleeding out still, and the fact that he was carrying Musca's dead weight was nothing short of a miracle.

"I've told you enough!" the doctor snapped, "What more—"

She halted when Osamu tore out Raygust from her son's chest, placing the bloodied blade to her son's neck.

"…tomorrow," she muttered, gripping her Kogetsu with white knuckles. "If you want, we can get this whole ordeal over with now—I'll take you to the room where we set up the portals and take you home if you want, just…leave my son alone."

 _This is wrong._

"Only if you promise to leave Meeden alone."

 ** _I don't care anymore._**

"…fine."

Osamu dropped Musca with shield already equipped when Dr. Mariposa lunged again.

"You couldn't even wait until he got medical attention to stab me in the back?" Osamu asked,

"You don't get to question how much I love my …!"

Dr. Mariposa's sentence drifted off as her other arm hit the floor. Unlike Musca, Dr. Mariposa couldn't seem to replace her limbs with Trion, causing her to freeze as Osamu's bloodied Raygust stopped millimeters from her neck.

"Now," he said, his glasses tinting dangerously, "I'm going to question how **_selfish_** you are."

He barely moved the blade an inch when Dr. Mariposa broke.

"P-please don't kill me!" she wailed, eyes filling with terror. "I-I'll…I'll do as you say…!"

"Very, apparently," he muttered, taking the woman by the scruff of her shirt while keeping his blade steadily pointing at her jugular vein. "Lead the way."

"…I understand," she murmured as he was lead out of the Trion room and back into the blindingly white hallway—however, this time it was filled with what looked like heavily-armed security guards wielding various weapons.

"Call them off," Osamu commanded, "…please."

Dr. Mariposa rolled her eyes. "Well, since you said _please_ …" she muttered, "Stand down. We're going to the Portal-Gate-Thingy so we can get rid of this stupid _Four-E_ —"—Osamu pushed the knife ever so slightly into her neck, and the woman corrected herself—"— ** _Test subject_**. If you value your paychecks then don't interfere."

"...Portal...Gate-Thingy?" Osamu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My son kept calling it that when he was three," she muttered, "and it stuck."

The guards effectively lowered their weapons, and she lead Osamu through multiple, empty rooms. "For testing and storage," she had answered when he asked.

Finally they made it to a room similar to the control room they fought in before, with the same panels and TVs showing the same room.

…and that's when he noticed a small blood splatter on the control panel.

He jumped out of the way of a Trion beam, annoyed that he hadn't noticed that she had led him into a circle. _What am I supposed to do_ now _!?_ He thought furiously as he unconsciously sliced through the guard that kept shooting at him, hardly noticing the blood that splattered on his clothing.

And then Osamu's unlikely saving grace kicked through the Trion wall.

"Round _two_ you son of a _bitch_!" Musca—who seemed like he was using more Trion to heal his wounds—laughed, drawing his katana yet again and diving for the brunette. He blocked the attack, but the force threw him into the control panel and caused him to press multiple buttons, all having different effects.

 _"_ _Trion canons firing—"_

 _"_ _Now recording—"_

 _"_ _Wash cycle started—"_

 _"_ _Warning, Gate opening. Please stand clear."_

The three of them stood there frozen as the voice went on— _"Meeden Gate opened."_

* * *

"Shiori?"

"Oh, hey Reiji," the Tamakoma operator yawned, stretching her arms as she leaned back in her chair. "Are you to get some sleep tonight?"

The redhead shook his head as he leaned against the doorframe. "Of course not," he replied, "not while Chika and Yuma are out there…"

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Shiori replied, "I mean, it's just defense duty. I'm here to make sure nothing goes awry. And we'll bail them out of there if _those_ Neighbors show up again…though I doubt they will."

"You never know," Reiji murmured, "I mean…I know it's been two months, but what if they come after Chika again? I'm not sure if Jin's Side-Effect will keep her safe…"

Shiori sighed, pushing up her glasses. "You have to understand Jin's point of view," she chastised, "He's just trying to make sure humanity doesn't die off—besides, judging by what Kirie told me Jin's Side-Effect seems to be acting… _off_."

"I understand that," Reiji replied hastily, "I just…hope that Jin isn't cornered in a future that harms her—or anyone else."

"And that's perfectly okay," the brunette explained, "It's just that…lately it's been changing so much and he's trying to make sense of it all—and that doesn't normally happen. Maybe every once in a while, but it seems like this future is riddled with crossroads that lead to all different places—more than usual."

 _There are so many futures…_

"If it's so stressful," Reiji asked, "then why use it in this case and put himself through all the stress? Why doesn't he just 'see what the future holds' like the rest of us do?"

"Because the future may 'hold' humanity's extinction," Shiori replied, "and he feels obligated to make sure that _doesn't_ happen for obvious reasons. Haven't you heard the phrase, 'with great power comes great responsibility?'"

Reiji felt his shoulders sag as they were weighed down with guilt. "Yes, but—"

"I'm sure you understand," Shiori interrupted, "you've known Jin too long _not_ to. It's just that you're upset because his actions are hurting our kouhai, no matter how necessary they are."

"…yeah," he admitted, "You're right. I shouldn't take it out on him—I'm sure he didn't ask for any of this…"

"It's not your fault," the brunette assured, "we were all hit pretty hard…we just have to hope Jin finds a good loophole in the future—but we also have to remember Jin _sees_ the future, but it takes a hell of a lot to _change_ it."

The redhead nodded in agreement. "…I should apologize for that black eye I gave him."

"I figured it spawned from that," Shiori sighed, "Jin sees the future, though even _without_ that Side-Effect he wouldn't be stupid enough to try to scare _you_ of all people!"

* * *

Kitora mumbled as she kicked a rock while wandering the Forbidden Zone during guard duty. It's not that she minded duty—she actually _enjoyed_ honing her skills from time to time, while on the other hand she had time to relax after a long day of prancing in front of the press.

But today was _too_ slow.

Sure she's had more than a few nights where she hasn't done _anything_ in her section, but she _always_ heard at least two or three other people fighting neighbors nearby. However, tonight was much quieter—she hasn't heard a single gate open yet, and she'd been out here for several hours now.

It was suspicious, not to mention _boring_.

The Arashiyama Ace knew better than to let her guard down, but as a result she couldn't alleviate her boredom. Sure she was tired and hungry and now in a very ill mood, but that didn't matter—it never has, and it never will.

...though she did wish at least _something_ would happen.

 _"_ _Warning, Gate Activity in Forbidden Zone,"_ the alarm blared, _"Warning—"_

"Finally," Kitora muttered, easily making her way to the gate. "Now I can—"

" _NICE TRY MOTHERFUCKER—!_ " a humanoid neighbor screamed as he flew from the gate and straight into the ace.

"What the—!?" Kitora couldn't finish her sentence when pain blossomed in her side. When she looked down, she realized that the person had cut her with an _actual_ katana—and she was bleeding.

 _Bleeding!?_

"Damn it..." he muttered, standing over her with his bloody sword. "You're not that Four-Eyed fucker..."

 _Four-Eyed...?_

Now thoroughly pissed off, Kitora drew her Asteroid riffle and fired. He was right in front of her so there was no way for her to miss—

"What the _fuck_!?" she shouted as the bullets whizzed right through the Neighbor's head, causing him to wipe his forehead in confusion.

"Well that felt weird," he murmured, laughing slightly. "So _that's_ what Trion feels like when you're in real life? It's all… _tingly_ …"

 _This can_ not _be happening_ , she thought, holding her still bleeding wound.

 _"_ _A-Arashiyama-sempai..."_ she choked through her com, _"Get HQ...these neighbors..."_

 _"_ _Kitora-kun!?"_ Jun's alarmed voice crackled through her ear, _"Are you alright!? I'm coming right now!"_

 _"_ _N-no!"_ she shouted, _"Get back up…you'll…"_

She drifted off when another humanoid neighbor jumped from the gate, this one rushing head-first into the idiot who stabbed her in a blur of teal and—

 _Wait._

Kitora watched in horror as the boy clad in a familiar, teal Border uniform and glasses viciously lunged at the Neighbor that had stabbed her in the stomach. The Neighbor attempted to counter, but the boy dodged and sliced his Raygust cleanly across his assailant's neck. His head went flying and landed right in Kitora's lap, and it took all of her willpower not to throw up as she stared up at the bloodied, bespectacled survivor.

"…O-Osamu-kun!?"

* * *

"What the _hell_?!"

Reiji jumped at Shiori's outburst. "What's wrong?!" he demanded, "What happened?!"

"I-Osamu's Trion signature is _visible_!" she replied, staring at the computer screen with wide eyes. "L- _look_!"

Reiji joined her behind the desk and peered at the screen. "That's him?" he asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "You're _sure_?"

"Absolutely!" She replied, typing furiously on her keyboard. "Maybe... _just_ maybe I can communicate with him through the comms!"

"What if it's a neighbor with Osamu's trigger?" Reiji asked dubiously, "I mean..."

"There's only one way to find out," Shiori replied, "Osamu, are you there?!"

There was a long pause, and Reiji felt his fists tighten. "Contact HQ just in case," he said, "It might not be—"

" _I'm here Usami-sempai,_ _"_ a familiar voice interrupted, _"but I need help."_

 _"Anything!"_ Shiori practically cried, "In fact, Chika and Yuma are out there on defense duty if you're in need of assistance!"

 _"_... _that's_ exactly _what I needed,_ _"_ Osamu answered, _"thank you."_

Reiji raised an eyebrow, and Shiori shrugged. "Whatever gets him back here alive and in one piece," she murmured, "that's all that matters…Chika-kun?"

 _"Yes?"_ Reiji's kouhai answered immediately, _"Is something wrong? I know a gate opened west of me—"_

"Go there," Reiji cut in, "Osamu-kun just returned and he needs support."

Shiori slapped him on the bicep.

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You have to tell her that _gently_!" she chastised, "You don't want her to get too emotional on the battlefield, do you?"

"You underestimate my kouhai," Reiji replied, "I'm sure she'll be fine—she always is."

* * *

"…Kitora-sempai," Osamu acknowledged, bowing his head respectfully.

She took it back. She took it _all_ _way the **fuck**_ back.

 _Fuck_ being bored, she was completely _terrified._ Blood stained the Tamakoma agent's uniform and weapon, and his glasses tinted like he was the fucking son of the devil or something.

"…you're hurt," he stated, moving towards her but stopping after Kitora scooted away from him, screaming when the Neighbor's decapitated head rolled out of her lap.

"…w…what did you just do…?" she stammered, holding her wound. "What…what did that _neighbor_ do!?"

 **" _Musca!_ "**

Another humanoid neighbor dove from the gate, except this one was a female with bright blue wings (though after a second take Kitora realized she actually had _one_ wing—the other must have been cut off), two glowing Trion arms, and a face that looked no younger than forty. She landed/tripped onto the ground and rushed to the first decapitated Neighbor, tears running down her face as she sobbed over his body.

"You…you _monster_!" she shrieked, "You…you _killed_ him!"

Kitora turned back to Osamu, whose face was disturbingly calm. "I had to," he replied bluntly, "it was him or her."

 _Her…?_ Kitora realized that he was referring to _her_ and not himself, making her shudder. _Doesn't that idiot care about his_ own _life?_

 _"Arashiyama-sempai…"_ she murmured _, "…I need help…"_

 _"I contacted HQ,"_ he replied, _"Chika and Yuma are on their way…what's happening!?"_

 _"Humanoid Neighbors,"_ she explained, _"…and I'm kind of bleeding out—"_

Before she could finish her sentence, her sempai appeared out of thin air beside her, eye filled with worry.

"Kitora-kun!?" Jun gasped, kneeling down to her. "What the _hell_ —?!"

He stopped mid sentence when the female neighbor screamed again, lunging at Osamu with blinding speed. Osamu blocked with surprising ease and the two became a flurry of Trion and blood, causing Jun's jaw to drop.

"…is that…?" he asked, eye wide with terror.

"Yes, it is," Kitora replied, "And _I'm_ still bleeding out. Can you _please_ apply pressure to my wound!?"

* * *

Chika was laser focused on the Gate, finger shaking.

"So Osamu-kun made it back?" Yuma asked through the comm, standing right beside her. "I should go say hello."

"I-I don't think that's a good idea," Chika replied uneasily, "the last time Osamu and I encountered those neighbors…your real body will be hurt."

"My real body is _already_ hurt," Yuma laughed, "But I guess rushing in there would be quite problematic, wouldn't it?"

" _Chika,_ " Osamu's voice suddenly crackled through the girl's comm, " _Are you there?_ "

 _"I'm here!_ " Chika replied, eyes watering with tears as she saw him through the scope. _"I-I'm positioned on the roof of HQ-I can see you now...are you hurt?!"_

She looked closer and saw that he was covered in an alarming amount of blood. _"…Yes,"_ he replied, _"I need you to do me a favor-aim for the gate."_

"...okay...?" Chika murmured to herself, doing as she was told. _"Ready."_

 _"Alright, so listen closely,"_ Osamu commanded _, "Regular Trion don't faze these Neighbors. However I need you to shoot right into the gate—it'll close it and prevent more from coming in."_

Chika's finger hesitated on the trigger. _"B-but the—"_

 _"It'll just close the portal,"_ Osamu assured her, _"quickly!"_

Nodding with resolve, she fired.

The Gate exploded, and she heard Yuma whistle. "As impressive as ever," he congratulated, "It looks like those things that you set fire to during celebrations…"

"You mean fireworks?" Chika put in helpfully, "You're right, it does—"

She trailed off, eyes widening in horror as she stared down her scope.

 _"_ O- _Osamu-kun!?_ " she screamed, her hands shaking as terror gripped her chest.

"…that's not good," Yuma muttered, eyes wide as he let out a shaky breath. "How did you…?"

* * *

Osamu knew he shouldn't be this calm.

However he found hinself not caring as Chika's blast caused the gate to explode, effectively distracting Dr. Mariposa long enough for Osamu to ram his blade straight into her chest.

 _"O-Osamu-kun!?"_ Chika and Usami screamed simultaneously in his ear.

 _"That's not good,"_ Yuma muttered, _"How did you…?"_

"What the _fuck_?" Kitora demanded, while Arashiyama sat wordlessly in pure shock.

" _O-Osamu-kun,_ don't _kill her!_ " Usami shouted, " _S-s-she could have valuable information about her country and their technology!"_

The brunette sighed, mildly annoyed that he didn't see this coming. _"Fine,"_ he replied, tearing the blade out. He transformed Raygust with a shield, and before anyone else could respond he slammed it against the woman's temple as hard as he could. When she crumpled to the ground, the brunette heaved a sigh of relief.

Now that she was taken care of, Osamu turned to help Kitora with her wounds when he found a Meteora riffle pointed at his chest.

"Arashiyama-sempai...?" he asked uncertainly, "What are you—"

"You just _murdered_ someone," he interrupted, "and I'm willing to bet you were going to kill her too before something changed your mind—either way, you're _not_ going _anywhere_ near her."

"I just saved her life," the bespectacled brunette replied almost emotionlessly. "I had no choice."

"Sempai—" Kitora tried to interject.

However, Arashiyama didn't seem to be having any of it. "Disengage your trigger," he commanded, " _now._ "

Realizing he had no other choice, Osamu sighed and did as he was told. "Trigger, off."

Osamu's Trion body dissipated, leaving behind his old, worn out clothes from when he was first captured ("you're a test subject, not a model," Dr. Mariposa always muttered when he commented on them) and his multiple stab wounds that had magically disappeared during the fight. His trigger slipped from bloodied hands as he collapsed to the ground, blissfully letting the darkness carry him into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Edited part of the next chapter into this one because it was to dang short...not to mention that it's not the mood that I wanted for that chapter, so nyeh.**


	8. Deteriorating

"He did _what_?!" Satori cried out, eyes practically bulging out of his skull.

Kitora sighed as she lay in the hospital bed, trying to will away her massive headache. "He decapitated him," she repeated, subconsciously brushing off her lap with a shudder. "The head landed on me."

Jun shook his head, eyes uncharacteristically hard. "The fact that he'd do something so... _psychopathic_ is sickening."

"As much as it pains me to come to his defense," she muttered, "it didn't seem like he particularly _enjoyed_ it. Besides, he's most likely been their _prisoner_ for two months—everything isn't going to be all roses and sunshine between them."

"That doesn't justify _murder_!" Satori insisted, "You'd have to be mentally _unstable_ to be okay with that!"

"Maybe he _was_ mentally unstable."

The two of them turned to Tokieda, who had been reading quietly until now. "Like Kitora said, Osamu was their _prisoner_ —who _knows_ what they put him through. Whatever it was most likely made him snap—but in a more _sociopathic_ way, not _psychopathic_ like you're thinking."

Kitora thought for a moment. "Arashiyama-sempai," she said suddenly, "when that other neighbor flew in, screaming about the one that stabbed me, she said 'you killed him!' and he just replied, 'I had to'—it was right when you came to help me."

"See?" Tokieda agreed, "It's not like he _wanted_ to kill him—he just didn't care that it came to that. There was more of a careless, 'the ends justify the means' reasoning behind it."

Arashiyama shook his head. "…what happened that made him like that?" he asked, eyes softening with sympathy. "I mean...there's _no_ _way_ Osamu-kun was like that before…"

"Of _course_ not," Kitora snorted, "the old Osamu-kun couldn't hurt a fly, let alone _decapitate_ someone—besides, he wouldn't have been strong enough to."

"To hurt a fly or decapitate someone?" Satori asked.

"Both," she replied bluntly.

There was an uneasy silence between the squad mates as various thoughts ran through their heads.

Kitora was still stuck on how _sudden_ all of it was—not just Osamu's return, but his being kidnapped in the first place as well. The Neighbors were obviously after Chika, which isn't anything new—however when they took Osamu they didn't seem to come _back_ for her. By the way Osamu and the two humanoid Neighbors that came with him fought, it was pretty obvious that Osamu was actually in the process of _escaping_ —and they were trying to get him back.

 _…_ _How'd he do that anyway?_

The Arashiyama Ace shuddered again, brushing off the image of that Neighbor's head on her lap. Not once in her time at Border had she seen something so grotesquely terrifying that wasn't in the media—it was undeniably real, the metallic stench of blood and the weight of the severed head…and by _Osamu Mikumo_ of all people.

"…what the hell is _wrong_ with you, Osamu…?"

* * *

When Osamu awoke in the blindingly white hospital room, the déjà vu was almost unbearable.

Sitting up slowly so as to not agitate his wounds, he groped blindly for his glasses on the table beside him as he eyed the familiar silhouette sitting on the other side of the room.

"…mom…" he murmured, putting his glasses on his face and blinking rapidly as everything came into focus. Everything about the situation was the same—even Chika was lying on his mother's left shoulder, sound asleep and oblivious to the growing tension in the room.

"…This won't become a normal thing for you, will it?" she asked, face as passive as he remembered. However, even after two whole months he was able to see the relief and worry in her eyes. "Being abducted by neighbors?"

"…I hope not," he replied, smiling slightly, "but you never know…"

His mother did the same. "…you really are a stubborn one, aren't you?"

They both chuckled, causing Chika to stir.

"…Osamu…kun…?" she asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Chika," he greeted, "…it's been a while."

The moment those words left his lips he realized just how much he missed her and everyone else. He had been trapped for _months_ in that hell, and he wasn't able to fully realize that he was free until now.

Something in him shifted, and tears began to fall down his cheeks. "…I missed you."

The girl stood abruptly, eyes wide and misty as she made her way over to him. "…you're back," she whispered, approaching the bed. "…I missed you too."

Osamu took her hand in his, smiling gently. "…I'm sorry."

"…for what?" she asked, confused.

The bespectacled brunette caressed her palm, noting how soft her hands were. "I'm not sure we parted on good terms," he admitted, "…but I just didn't want you to be dragged down because of me—and I got desperate. So for that I'm sorry."

Chika sniffled as she tightened her hand around his. "…I forgive you," she hiccupped, "I-it's okay…"

The tears that she had been holding back spilled over, and Osamu reached up and wiped them away. She smiled and leaned into his palm, and a warm feeling blossomed in his scarred chest as he lightly brushed her hair out of her face.

"…I-I should get Yuma and the others," she stammered, backing away with a visible blush on her cheeks. "I-I'm sure that everyone will want to know you're awake again…"

Osamu really didn't want to let her go yet, but he was itching to see Yuma as well. "…alright," he conceded, hesitantly removing his hand as she ran off.

When she was gone, his mother spoke. "…what did you do that required an apology?"

"I…" he shifted uncomfortably, wincing as his injuries protested. "…when I was first captured, I had to, uh… _stab_ …Chika…"

"You hurt Chika?" she asked, the slightest bit of anger apparent in her voice as her eyebrows furrowed almost unnoticeably downwards—which for her means that she was _furious_ , making the Megane-kun flinch.

"I-we were in our Trion bodies," he explained hastily, "and when the neighbors came after us…they seemed to harm our regular bodies, so we would die before we could bail out. I was already too injured to escape, so in a last ditch effort I stabbed Chika with _my_ weapon so she could bail out safely."

His mother's face relaxed. "I see," she murmured, "…you took my advice to heart."

"Of course," he replied, "…you told me to do what I—"

"—Chika cried," she finished, "so you two have become more _intimate_ , haven't you?"

Osamu felt his face turn fifty shades of red. "W- _what_!?"

"Remember the last time I was here?" his mother asked, "I had noted how Chika hadn't cried while you were unconscious, and I told you that you two must become more intimate—and it seems that you two have become _very_ —"

"N-n-nothing changed between us!" he insisted, "W-we're not _intimate_ —!

"Kizaki-san showed me a picture," she continued smoothly, pulling out her phone and walking over to him. "Of you and Chika from the day you were captured. I'm sure _something_ changed."

She held her phone out to him, and Osamu actually felt his face catch fire.

Osamu remembered the exact moment when that picture was taken—he was sitting in his chair, holding Chika tightly in his arms as she curled up in her lap sound asleep. His hand was on her head, and he remembered acutely how soft her hair was as he threaded his fingers through it. There was a ghost of a smile on both of their faces, and—

"I-it's not what it—where did he—" he gave up with a sigh and covered his face with his hands.

"Kizaki-san said he thought it was creepy at first," his mother said said, "but then he warmed up to the idea of you two being together—he trusts your ability to keep her safe, as do I…and Rinji-kun."

Rinji's name made Osamu remove his hands from his face as he realized something.

"…I left her…" he whispered, eyes wide and misty. "…I disappeared…just like her brother did…"

His mother's face softened as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "You were trying to keep her safe," she assured him, "You didn't have much of a choice, did you?"

"…but she must have blamed herself," he murmured, clenching his fists. "Like she blamed herself for Rinji's disappearance—I _know_ she did…"

 _Please don't let me go._

 _I killed you._

More tears fell down his face, and he choked back a sob. "…I'm so sorry, Chika…" he whispered brokenly, "I…I let you go…"

"But you came back, didn't you?" his mother asked gently, "Sometimes holding on to something too tightly will break it, will it not? What matters is that you came back to her, against seemingly impossible odds."

Suddenly the door opened, and Osamu quickly wiped her eyes as his mother walked back to the couch, a small smile on her face.

"Y-Yuma!" he exclaimed, relief washing over him. "You're okay!"

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Yuma asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin, "You took one heck of a beating, and yet you're smiling!"

Osamu scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Yeah…"

"Kuga-san," Osamu's mother greeted, "have you seen Kizaki-san's—"

"Mom _no!_ " the Megane-kun interrupted, eyes wide and panicked. "Don't—"

"No," Yuma replied, cocking his head to the side. "What is it a picture of?"

Osamu's mother made it a point to go around the bed and out of reach of her son's flailing arms to show Yuma the embarrassing picture. "Aren't they cute?" she asked, "How long have they been—"

"We _haven't_!" Osamu insisted, a prominent blush on his face. " _Mom_ —!"

"Hmm," Yuma murmured, "I think they've been dating for—"

" _We're not dating_!" the Megane-kun insisted, throwing his hands up in the air. "What are you _saying_!?"

Yuma cocked her head to the side. "But Konami-sempai said so, and she wasn't lying."

"She was probably lied to by Karasuma-sempai," he muttered, "You know how she is…"

Osamu's mother chuckled at their banter. "I'll leave you two for the time being," she said with a smile, "Rest well, Osamu."

The Megane-kun nodded as she left the room. "I will, thank you."

When she was gone, Osamu sighed and laid back down on his bed with a sigh. "You guys…"

"You know you missed us," Yuma said, grinning from ear to ear.

The bespectacled brunette couldn't help but warmly. "Of course," he replied, "how could I not?"

Osamu yawned suddenly, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. "Yuma…kun…"

"You should get some sleep," the neighbor murmured, walking over to him and plucking off his glasses. "…wonder where you got these from…."

Before Osamu could answer, however, unconsciousness had already taken him away.

* * *

It took him two weeks to awake again.

When the doctors were convinced that Osamu was awake for good this time, they allowed him to go back home and attend school—however they insisted his wounds were still not healed enough for him to gain clearance to go back to defense duty or participate in Rank Wars with his teammates. He was slightly annoyed that he hadn't healed enough after dozing for half a month, but he figured he wouldn't be much help if he was still injured and let it go.

Until he found out his injuries _weren't_ the primary reason for his absence.

* * *

He was at home, heading downstairs to get something to eat when he heard his mother arguing with someone in the living room. He backtracked out of sight and decided to eavesdrop—mostly because his mother wasn't the arguing type and he wanted to see what made her so upset.

"My son is _not_ mentally unwell," he heard his mother practically growl, "there's no reason that he should have failed that health examination."

"We're not saying he's mentally unwell…" a familiar voice replied uncertainly, "…but he _did_ fail the psychological evaluation to—"

"Which means that you think him mentally unfit to continue working," his mother interrupted coldly, "what else could it mean? You can't blame my son for—"

"We're not saying it's his fault at all," Karasawa replied hastily, "he's sure to have suffered while imprisoned those two months, and well…it's had a negative impact on his psyche."

There was a tense moment as what Osamu guessed was a staring contest ensued—one that was promptly broken by the Foreign Affairs Manager's sigh.

"Mikumo-san," he said gently, "I know that you're upset, but you have to look at the facts. When he returned he _killed_ a humanoid neighbor—and by killed I mean _killed_ —and almost killed another until being ordered otherwise by his team operator. Furthermore the testimony of one of the agents on defense duty suggest that he may have killed others prior to his escape. Letting him back into the field will have almost catastrophic consequences."

 _Catastrophic…?_

"I can't accept this," his mother replied, shaking her head. "I—"

"Mikumo-san," Karasawa interrupted more sternly, "you can't just 'not accept' your son's deteriorating mental state."

 _…_ _deteriorating…?_

"And that's not all," he continued, "…we believe his mental stability may have given way to a new—and potentially dangerous—Side-Effect."

"A…Side-Effect?" his mother asked, "I…I thought only people with abnormally high Trion could have those…"

"Usually, yes," Karasawa replied, "but…we noticed that while he was in captivity his Border trigger had been experimented on, and an extra circuit board had been added underneath it's components—it's made out of what resembles pure ruby, but when we asked the neighbor we captured about it she refused to talk. We've had others try to activate the trigger to no avail—it just wouldn't work for them."

"And yet Osamu was able to activate it?" Osamu's mother asked, "Maybe it's because it's his personal trigger?"

"His trigger is— _was_ —a standard Border trigger," the manager answered, "there's no personal modifications on it whatsoever, so that can't be the case."

There was another moment of silence.

"…I'll keep an eye on him," his mother promised, "but…"

"That's all we ask," Karasawa nodded, "thank you."

The two of them stood and walked over to the door. "I'm sorry I couldn't bear any good news," he apologized, "but just know, we at Border have your son's best interests in mind."

"I'm sure you do," his mother replied, "thank you for letting me know."

Osamu heard the door shut and let out a sigh, quietly making his way back to his room/

 _Deteriorating, huh?_ He thought to himself as he flopped down on his bed, _I've never really noticed._


	9. Unpredictable

**Special thanks to my sister (Sleepwalker48) for giving me the idea for this ending :P (well, technically I stole it, so I'm going to credit her XD) Go check out her stories (though sadly she doesn't have any World Trigger ones…yet…)**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna get this one feelsy chapter out of the way so I can progress the plot so...*drops this and runs away***

* * *

 _"…_ _is something wrong?"_

 _Osamu didn't respond as he resisted against Dr. Mariposa's restraints. When he had come to not even five minutes ago she was standing there, chains in hand and demanding he follow her again—no doubt to put him through whatever hell he just went through before. He wasn't entirely sure how long he had been unconscious, but he knew for sure that it was too soon to go back._

 _"_ _Look," she said, "I know I messed up the last time, but I_ promise _I got it right this time. Can you_ please _just come on?"_

 _After a few more moments of hesitation, the bespectacled brunette decided that the burning sensation on his wrists wasn't worth it and let himself be led away._

* * *

"Stay…at Tamakoma?"

Osamu's mother nodded, her face unusually tense. "I said I'd watch over you," she muttered as she rather angrily washed the dishes, "but Kido-san insists that you stay there so _they_ could keep an eye on you—something about getting you back into Border work or some nonsense like that."

The brunette winced as his mother cracked a plate from wiping so hard, though her face was still as passive-aggressive as ever. "I don't know what that Chief is up to," she murmured, "but I _know_ they don't have 'your best interest' in mind…just like when they tried to frame you after that invasion…"

"Mom…" Osamu said gently, gingerly taking the plate and sponge from her hands. "Even if they have some other plan in mind, it wouldn't be _too_ bad. I kinda miss Tamakoma anyway…and it's not like its _permanent_ , right?"

"It might as well be," his mother almost spat, making way for her son to do the dishes himself. "I mean…they said _indefinitely_ Osamu."

Osamu sighed as he rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to wash the dishes. "Even if that's the case," he replied, "I can still _visit_ and have a life outside of Tamakoma. It's not like I'm going to be under _house_ _arrest_."

His mother didn't seem to buy anything he was saying. "They didn't even _estimate_ when you'd be returning back to work," she muttered, "I'm pretty sure it _is_ house arrest."

"But…" he murmured, "…what else am I supposed to do?"

His mother furrowed her brows ever so slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, "You can always stay here…"

"I know that," he replied, "it's just…if I stay here then it'll just be… _normal_. I wouldn't know what to do with myself…"

There was a tense silence between the two, save the gentle _clinking_ of dishes as Osamu washed them. It stretched into minutes, only to be broken by his mother's sigh.

"…you better visit," she conceded finally, "…it'll be lonely without you here."

The brunette put down the sponge and wiped his hands. He understood why his mother was being like this—he's been gone for two months, comatose for almost a month, and awake and healthy(ish) for only about a week. She's only had a little time with him after waiting for so long, only for Border to sweep him away again claiming they have his 'best interests' in mind…

 _Just like after the invasion._

Pushing that thought out of his mind, Osamu turned to his mother and wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to worry, mom," he promised, "everything will be okay."

His mother hugged him back, sniffling slightly. "It's my job to worry," she murmured, "…but I know you can handle yourself. You've done well enough on your own with the hell you've been through…"

She pulled away, wiping her eyes and regaining her composure. "At least Chika and Kuga will be there as well…Kizaki-san tells me that you and Chika have been—"

"We have _not_ been intimate!"

"You can't deny it," his mother said, smiling ever so slightly. "Kizaki-san has pictures."

" _Why_!?"

"Because I asked him to take them."

Osamu sighed and rolled his eyes as he went back to doing the dishes. "…that's _creepy_ …"

"That's money being made."

"You're _paying_ him!?"

"How else would I get them?"

The bespectacled brunette sighed again in exasperation. " _Mom_ …"

His mother chuckled softly at Osamu's expression. "I was only joking," she smiled, nudging him lightly. "Kizaki-san refused when I asked."

"The fact that you actually _asked_ is still a key issue here…" he whined.

Osamu's mother shrugged. "I thought it was worth a try," she replied nonchalantly before gently adding:

"…I'm sure Rinji would be proud of you, Osamu."

Osamu paused, for a moment, wondering how to respond. "…I _did_ promise I'd take care of her…" he murmured, feeling his face heat up a little.

His mother gently squeezed his shoulder with a smile. "Exactly," she replied, "and you've done a good job of it so far."

* * *

"Chika?"

The girl turned from the night sky and smiled when she saw Osamu standing behind her.

"Of course!" she replied, patting the seat beside her. "I don't mind."

"Thanks," he murmured as he took his place beside Chika, "just needed to get some fresh air…"

Chika nodded knowingly, looking back up at the night sky. She was pretty sure that Osamu was attacked by Konami again by the way he kept rubbing his neck and smiling. It's only been a day since Tamakoma-2 had been 'invited' (commanded) by Director Rindo (courtesy of Chief Kido) to stay at Tamakoma HQ for a while just a few days ago to 'help mentally prepare Osamu for his reinstatement into Border' (though something tells her it has to do with Osamu's actions when he returned) and the three had taken up residence without much complaint (though there was a little bit of suspicion).

"We all missed you, you know," Chika murmured, "…but we all knew you'd come back."

"Thank you," the Megane-kun replied, "…I missed you guys too."

A long, comfortable silence fell between the two as they watched the few stars twinkle in the sky. They were in the city so there weren't as many as Chika hoped, however the artificial lights still draped a lovely aura around the inhabited horizon that she nonetheless enjoyed.

"…why don't you treat me any differently from before?" Osamu mumbled suddenly, eyes downcast. "I mean, everyone else seems… _scared_ of me, but you and Yuma…"

"…why would we treat you differently?" Chika asked, turning to the bespectacled brunette curiously.

He jumped, startled by her answer. "I-did I say that out loud?" he stammered, "Sorry, I…I was just thinking…"

Chika looked back up at the lights, contemplating her answer. "…it _was_ scary," she admitted, "seeing you… _kill_ that neighbor…but we know you weren't in the wrong."

She turned back to Osamu, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows. "…how?" he demanded, "I…I _killed_ —"

"—a _neighbor_ ," Chika interrupted, "isn't that what we've been doing all this time? You had to protect yourself and Kitora-san, so you did what you had to."

"Yeah, but…" Osamu didn't seem to be buying anything that she was saying as he stared back down at his hands.

"…it's the blood," she whispered, "I think that's what makes everyone scared. We're so used to just using Trion that the thought of actually drawing _blood_ …"

"…is _sickening_ ," Osamu finished, clenching his fists."I-I _killed_ people Chika—not just that neighbor, but when I was escaping I…I-I had to, but…"

Sighing, Chika gently laid her head on his shoulder and took one of his hands in hers, causing Osamu to stiffen slightly.

"I think it just proves how strong you are," she continued, "Even when you were faced with the harsh reality of…of _killing_ someone, you still did it because it was the right thing to do."

Chika looked up at Osamu from his shoulder, smiling brightly. "And I think that makes you really brave, Osamu-kun."

It was then when she realized he was crying.

"It's okay…" she cooed as tears began to run silently down his cheeks, "You're here now…that's all that matters…"

"Thank you…" he sniffled, "I-I'm sorry…I…"

"It's not your fault," Chika replied, reaching a hand up and wiping away his tears. "I'll always be here, okay? I'm here, Yuma-kun's here, as well as our sempai and everyone else. You're not alone anymore."

Suddenly Chika got an idea.

"W-what are you—?" Osamu stopped short when Chika crawled into his lap, his face turning as red as a tomato. "C-Chika?!"

"We've sat like this before, right?" Chika asked innocently, smiling into the crook of his neck and curling up into a ball. "Unless it makes you uncomfortable—"

"N-no…it's fine…" the Megane-kun assured her, wrapping his arms around her body and drawing her closer. "I-it just took me by surprise, that's all…"

They sat together like that for a long while, staring up at the beautiful, artificial sky in blissful silence.

"…I've missed you…" Osamu whispered, lightly pecking Chika on the top of her head.

Chika felt her face flush a deep crimson at the sudden gesture, but nonetheless smiled and nuzzled into his embrace. "I missed you too, Osamu-kun."

And for the first time in almost three months, Chika saw Osamu truly smile.

* * *

"Hey Jin," Reiji greeted as the power elite strolled into the kitchen, "you alright?"

"I'm doing just fine," Jin replied, smiling his normal smile. However, Reiji knew him well enough to see the worry clouding his eyes.

 _Something isn't right._

"Jin," Reiji stated, "What is it now?"

The power elite sighed, nonchalantly eating a bag of fried rice crackers. "Osamu-kun's wanted at HQ," he replied, "Kido-san seems like he has something up his sleeve."

"Of course…" Reiji muttered, "Can't they give him some time to adjust to living before questioning him? He's only been conscious for a _week_."

"According to Kido, 'a week should be enough'," the power elite answered wistfully, "which pretty much _everyone_ disagreed with, but what Kido says, goes…"

Reiji crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowed as he thought for a moment. "Jin…" he said hesitantly, "about that neighbor that Border captured—"

Jin winced for a brief second, causing the redhead's eyebrows to rise in shock. "It has to do with _her_?" he demanded, "What are they _thinking_?"

"…they want him to question her," Jin admitted, "I tried to tell them that wouldn't be a good idea, but unfortunately they seem to think it's necessary…"

"Couldn't you say that you saw a future where—?"

Reiji stopped short when Jin averted his eyes.

"…Jin," he said seriously, "what did you see?"

"…you remember when I said that Osamu would be asking for death if we let him live?" Jin asked, averting his eyes. "That the pain he'd go through would change him…and not for the better?"

"…of course…" Reiji murmured, "but you said that another future opened up, didn't you? One where he won't be in so much pain?"

"That's what I initially thought, yes," the power elite acknowledged, "and yet…it seems like I was wrong."

The Tamakoma-1 captain narrowed his eyes. "Osamu's been through hell and back to survive," he almost growled, "if you plan on killing him out of mercy—"

"N-no!" Jin exclaimed, eyes panicked and pleading. "T- _that_ was a major mistake on my part—I-I shouldn't have treated Osamu's life so lightly and I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry—it's just…"

Reiji forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. _It's not Jin's fault_ , he reminded himself, _he keeps getting backed into a corner because of his Side-Effect…_

"What did you see?" Reiji asked gently, "Is Osamu going to die? Is he…going to _want_ to die?"

To his surprise, the power elite shook his head. "No…" Jin whispered, "…I don't know…"

Reiji's eyes widened in confusions as he felt his panic mounting. "You…don't _know_?"

Jin ran a hand over his face, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I…I can't see _anything_ ," he admitted finally, sinking to the kitchen floor. "At first I thought it was my Side-Effect messing up—I _hoped_ my Side-Effect was messing up—but I can still see other people's futures. Osamu's future is…it's completely _blank_."

"W…what do you mean _blank?_ " Reiji demanded, "H-how is that _possible!?_ "

The Power Elite drew his legs in and hid his face in his knees, letting out a shaky sigh. "…it's happened once before," he murmured, "…there was a person who…who should have died, I saw their future earlier…but someone died in their place."

"…and the person who didn't die…?" Reiji asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"…his future was blank," the power elite answered brokenly, "just like Osamu's…"

Reiji suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. "…Jin…" he whispered, "…you don't mean…"

"That's right," Jin affirmed, "Osamu _has_ no future…because he's supposed to be _dead_."

* * *

 **Okay so I understand there's been some confusion about the time skip in this section, so I put a little thing between Konami's and Osamu's point of view in Ch. 6 to clear it up, hope it kinda helps…**

 **Timeline:**

Osamu's capture: 2 months

Unconscious: a week, then a little over two weeks (Osamu says "almost a month" because altogether it's three weeks)

Awake: a week

 **Hope this helps if you're confused** **J** **and don't forget to review :D**


	10. Trigger

**Sooooo I fucked up.**

 **I uploaded the wrong draft of this chapter, thus confusing all of you :/ a few paragraphs sure go a long way...**

 **Also let me know if you're sick of my (pitiful) attempts at using Japanese honorifics- _I_ sure as hell am, but I gotta stay consistent :/**

* * *

 _"…it's odd, isn't it?"_

 _Osamu mustered enough energy to glare at her, though there was none left to answer her question. He wasn't granted the mercy of actually passing out from the pain this time around, so he was dragged helplessly back to his cell instead of simply waking up bound. He had no idea how much time passed until the pain subsided into a much more manageable ache, the doctor staring down at him as the thrashing and screams faded into shivering and whimpers._

 _"You gave off an almost heroic vibe when we captured you—your eyes screamed stubbornness, and I thought I'd have a hard time getting you to cooperate," she murmured, continuing the one-sided conversation. "I bet you were just going to bide your time, or try to persuade me to let you go—or at the very least ask me to leave Meeden alone I bet…but now you're staring at me like you want to tear my throat out."_

 _She paused, kneeling down to Osamu's height and jerked his chin up, forcing him to look her in the eye._

 _"That's what physical pain does," she murmured, "laborious mental games are for those who either don't have the stomach to cause physical harm or aren't creative enough to find new ways to cause harm. Little tricks don't work on stubborn, capable people like us."_

 _She let go of his chin, and the brunette let his head hang limply._

 _"It's raw, physical pain that turns the most civilized people into animals," she replied softly as she disappeared behind him. "Whether they snap or cave, it doesn't matter—either way they break."_

* * *

"Arashiyama-sempai," Kitora grit out, " _Please. Stop. **Pacing**._ "

The captain stopped in his tracks, head dipping apologetically. "S-sorry," he murmured, finally collapsing in a nearby chair. "I'm just—"

"Worried, I know," the ace finished, "but that pacing is driving me _insane_."

A tense silence seemed to stifle the room, and Kitora shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Her wounds had healed pretty well, but she was still on leave—Border seems to have gotten their panties in a knot about her "mental health". _"He_ did _murder someone in front of you,"_ they would say, _"It's natural to feel traumatized by such a scene."_

She snorted at the thought.

"Hey guys…" Satori said timidly, interrupting Kitora's thoughts and the almost suffocating tension. "…I've been thinking…"

"That's a first," Kitora muttered, trying to at least get _some_ humor out of the situation (however out of character that might be for her). The tension was just too much, and Satori wasn't his usual goofy self—which is actually _very_ off-putting to anyone who knows him at all.

Satori averted his eyes, not even attempting to smile. "…well, you know the whole thing about Mikumo-kun coming back from the Neighborhood?"

"You were thinking it too?" Jun sighed, running a hand through his winged hair. "About the trigger?"

Kitora opened her mouth to comment, but clamped it shut when Satori spoke again.

"Is what he did _really_ out of the ordinary?" Satori asked, "I mean…I know before we were talking about how it was murder—"

"—which it technically _is_ ," Jun put in, "but…"

The Arashiyama Ace immediately understood where this conversation was going.

"Listen, he killed a _Neighbor_ ," Kitora finished, "any of us probably would have done the same."

Even as she said that the ace shuddered as she dusted off her lap, the image of the bloody head still lingering in the back of her mind. _It's_ wrong _, what he did was wrong_ , she wanted to say, _it's murder, it's not natural…_

 _…but it's what he's been trained to do._

"What gave _you_ a sudden change of heart?" Haruka asked suddenly, "I mean…you witnessed it firsthand…"

Kitora shrugged, averting her gaze. "I decided that we probably shouldn't be too hard on someone who's been in captivity for two whole months—yeah it was… _shocking_ , but looking at the circumstances…"

"…I should apologize," Jun said suddenly, and all eyes turned on him.

"For what?" Satori asked, "You didn't do anything!"

"I took his trigger away while he was bleeding out," the captain grit out, clenching his fists. "Not once did I give him the benefit of the doubt…"

"I'm sure Mikumo-kun wouldn't hold a grudge," Tokieda pointed out, "he probably understands."

Jun didn't seem to believe him, but before he could argue the door slid open, revealing Border's chief Engineer.

"Kitora-san," Terashima stated, "Kinuta-san asked for you."

"…alright…?" Kitora replied uneasily, "…what for?"

"Something about Mikumo's trigger," he stated, "he wasn't specific."

Kitora glanced at her captain, who looked just as unsure as she did. "She just got healed," Jun stated, "maybe—"

"Kido's orders," the Chief engineer added, "trust me, we wouldn't be doing it otherwise."

Well there was no arguing with that. "Fine," she consented, giving her captain one more look before leaving the room.

* * *

"So all you want me to do is activate the trigger?"

"We just want to see what happens," Development Chief Kinuta affirmed with a nod. "We've tried several different people already, but the trigger just won't activate for them—so we thought maybe someone closer to Mikumo's Trion range might be able to get it to work."

 _My Trion skill is higher than his_ , Kitora thought in mild irritation as she picked up the trigger. "That doesn't sound too hard," She decided out loud, " _Trigger, on_!"

Nothing happened.

"Well I'm not too disappointed," Kinuta sighed, "we'll have to bring in Mikumo himself if we want to—"

The pain smashed into her like a giant tidal wave of needles, causing her scream in agony. She vaguely heard the sound of Kinuta's panicking voice yelling for help, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying as she screamed again. Her body felt like it was on fire, and she began to shake feverously as she threw the trigger somewhere on the other side of the room.

That certainly didn't help the situation.

Suddenly what felt like a hammer smashed into her hand that previously held the trigger that started this mess. She tried to scream again, but all that she was able to get out were violently painful coughs and wheezes before blacking out completely.

* * *

"Seventh, huh…?"

Osamu sighed as he went over the footage for last month's Rank Wars. His teammates seemed to be able to hold their own for the most part, but he couldn't help but feel discouraged—they worked so hard to get their rank, and he blew it by letting himself get captured…

"…I seriously hope that's not what you're thinking," a voice said behind him.

"U-Usami-sempai?" he asked, "What do you mean?"

Usami smiled as she looked over his shoulder. "You can't _possibly_ be blaming yourself for being captured," she explained, nudging him on the shoulder. "I mean, you saved Amatori-kun in the process _and_ made it back alive! That's pretty amazing if you ask me!"

"…if you say so," Osamu murmured, "besides, I can make up for it in the next rank wars right?"

His stomach dropped when Usami's smile vanished.

"…Mikumo-kun…" she started hesitantly, "um…you're not…"

"I'm not cleared to participate yet, am I?" he asked bluntly, "Figures…"

He wasn't even that mad-after seeing what he could do with that modified trigger, the higher ups must have panicked. Before watching the Rank Wars, he saw footage of himself killing Musca and incapacitating Dr. Mariposa-his Raygust and Asteroid were red when he activated his trigger, which was something he completely overlooked while attempting to escape.

Usami shifted uncomfortably on her feet, bringing Osamu back to the present. "Well…" she murmured, "…I'm surprised you'd _want_ to, Mikumo-kun."

His facial expression may have been a bit harsher than he intended, because Usami rushed to explain. "I-I'm not saying you're not _capable_ or anything—it's just…I'd understand if you'd want to quit Border entirely after—"

"—after killing someone?" Osamu guessed, his expression softening as he averted his eyes. "I get it—you think I shouldn't—"

"I'm not saying you _shouldn't_ or _couldn't_ do anything," Usami interrupted hastily, "Most people usually quit and become operators or engineers when they see people's _Trion_ bodies get destroyed—but _you_ were able to kill a neighbor with flesh and blood…and _still_ want to work at Border?"

"Well…yeah," the green-eyed brunette answered, "I made a promise to protect Chika, and I can't do that outside of Border—and besides, what else am I supposed to do?"

The Tamakoma operator raised an eyebrow. "Be a normal student?" she asked, "Go to school, have a ton of friends, move on in life? Heck, I can see you as a doctor or something cool like that!"

Osamu sighed as he pondered her words. "Usami-sempai…" he murmured, "don't take this the wrong way, but…it almost seems like you don't _want_ me to come back."

"Well—I…" the operator exhaled as she pushed up her glasses, searching for the right words to say. "…I'm slightly worried for you, to be honest—I mean, grown _veterans_ would freak out at the thought of actually _killing_ a person…but at the same time I know you're not bonkers or anything, which is what I find really weird."

"…you find it weird I'm okay with it?" Osamu asked, "The…blood, I mean?"

 _You can't just '_ not accept' _your son's deteriorating mental state._

"Well it…certainly is _surprising_ ," Usami admitted, smiling widely. "But the fact that you're not crazy must mean that you're _really_ brave—you were somehow still able to do the right thing despite the difficult circumstances, and that's pretty neat!"

Osamu blushed slightly. "Chika said the same thing," he murmured, "…she said that's why none of you guys treat me any differently than before."

"Well why _would_ we?" Usami asked, nudging the brunette playfully. "We have no reason to shun any Megane-kuns—we need as many as we can get!"

The green-eyed brunette blinked as Usami stretched and yawned. "Now that _that's_ over with, I can get your psych evaluation typed up in a few minutes and we can head down to Border to get you reinstated as an agent!"

"Wait…what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean…?"

"Most of that conversation was pre-thought out, yes!" Usami grinned, "HQ wanted to check your mental progress to see if you can return to work or not, and I say you're doing just fine—you seem pretty _eager_ to be honest!"

Osamu didn't quite know how to respond, so he simply replied "Thanks, Usami-sempai."

"No problem!" Usami replied, "Just let me type this up real quick, then we can get going—I'll meet you downstairs."

When she left Osamu sighed and stood to do as he was told, a smile lingering on his face.

* * *

One long, tense, awkward car led Tamakoma-2 to the HQ meeting room.

Chika couldn't help but feel nervous as she took her seat at the large table. There were only two empty seats available, so Osamu and Reiji stood at the head of the table by the door while Miwa stood to the right of Commander Kido. It gave the atmosphere the same vibe as a courtroom, making the poor girl's nerves fray as worst case scenarios ran through her head. Usami had reassured her time and time again that it'll all be fine, but for some reason she _knew_ something was going to happen.

Chika jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder, but relaxed when she saw it was Osamu.

"It'll be okay," he murmured, "everything will turn out fine."

Commander Kido cleared his throat, and all chatter in the room ceased.

"Mikumo Osamu," he said, "You used your Border trigger to escape from captivity, correct?"

"Yes," Osamu answered, "the trigger I used to escape is the same one I've used since I joined."

The Commander nodded, his face completely unreadable. "As you already know, we've tested this trigger on a number of people, with no effect. However, earlier today Kitora Ai was able to get a response from the trigger."

Osamu looked just as surprised as Chika felt. "She was able to get it to work?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Not quite," Development Chief Kinuta grunted in response, "quite the opposite in fact—she had a seizure and is back in the hospital right now."

Something dark flickered across her captain's eyes, but it was gone before she could put a name on it. "…I see…" he murmured, looking down at his hands.

"Did this occur to you while it was being experimented on?"Kido continued, "Or did it have no effect like the others?"

"…yes," Osamu answered, "it occurred while I was being experimented on."

Chika suddenly felt tears spring into her eyes, but she forced them back.

"How many times has this happened?" the Commander pushed, ignoring the rising tension in the room. "Did it happen often?"

"Kido-danchou," General Shinoda warned, "He might not want to—"

"I don't know," Osamu interrupted, clenching his fists and his jaw, "but it happened very often—every time I was conscious she'd make me try to activate it until I wasn't."

The room was silent for a moment, and Chika stubbornly wiped her eyes. The fact that he went through all of that, because of _her_ — _No_ , she thought, shaking her head. Now wasn't the time for self pity—she needed to be strong for him, not cry about the past.

 _We all have to be strong for Osamu—you included._

"Kinuta-san," the Commander said, "give him the trigger."

Everyone in the room seemed to gasp at the same time, and Chika shot another panicked glance at her captain, whose glasses seemed to tint dangerously.

"A-Are you sure?" the Development Chief asked, "I mean…after Kitora—"

"Just do it."

"You can't be serious," Director Rindo objected, "putting Mikumo-kun back through that again—"

"I'm not repeating myself again," the Commander warned.

Kinuta sighed and pulled the trigger out of his pocket, handing it to Miwa. "If this ends badly, then—"

"Its fine," Osamu interrupted suddenly, "just…trust me."

Miwa raised an eyebrow at the bespectacled brunette as he handed him the trigger.

Osamu either didn't seem to notice or ignored it. "Shinoda-san," he said, turning to the General Manager, "can I borrow that pen?"

"Um…sure…?" he replied hesitantly, handing it to Chika. She almost dropped it because her hand was shaking so much, but she eventually got it into Osamu's hands without making a fool of herself. "…what are you planning to do with it?"

"I remember Dr. Mariposa referring to something called a 'blood stone'," Osamu explained, laying his left palm flat on the table and raising the pen high. "And I was already heavily wounded when I activated the trigger, so…"

Suddenly Osamu plunged the pen straight into his hand, stifling a cry of pain.

Chika gasped, staring in horror at the object imbedded into his skin. "O-Osamu-kun—what are you—?!"

"She…said it needed blood," he replied as he grunted in pain as he yanked the pen out, "That's why it failed so many times before…"

He then took the trigger in his wounded hand and took a deep breath. "Trigger, _on_."

The room went silent when his combat avatar appeared, Raygust in hand. It was mostly the same, except for the fact that she distinctly remembered Raygust's blade being a tranclucient yellow-the one currently in Osamu's hands, however, appeared to be a solid red blade, giving it a very ominous look. He held out his hand as a crimson Asteroid materialized into view, very unlike the glowing green cubes that she was familiar with.

Chika could only stare in shock as Osamu gave her another brief smile before turning to Commander Kido. "Apparently, it needs blood to be activated correctly—I have no idea why, but it may have to do with its color and appearance."

"When did you first figure this out?" the Commander asked, "Did the neighbor tell you?"

"I…just now to be honest…" Osamu admitted, "I wasn't 100 percent sure if it would work—she only mentioned the stone while trying to kill me, so I think she assumed that I wasn't going to live long enough to tell anyone-plus there's the appearance..."

"Wait," General Shinoda interrupted, "You weren't sure if it would work, but you stabbed your hand anyway?"

"Not entirely, no," Osamu replied, "I've thought about it for a while now, but I never got to actually test it out until now…"

"So it's a Side-Effect then," Kido decided, "produced from the modifications from your trigger."

Chika glanced at Osamu again, whose face paled instantly. "…what do you mean?" he asked, "I-I thought it was my trigger—"

He stopped short, his eyes widening in horror as he dropped his trigger.

"That's…that's not my trigger…is it?"


	11. Power

**I bet you ten bucks that you're all sick of my vonstant revision :/**

 **SO i realized that i had uploaded the wrong draft of chapter 10, which then fucked up chapter 11. So bear with me as i fix this-i had two separate ideas in mind, but little things like extra descriptions for clarity make things confusing as balls so im sorry :(**

* * *

 _"_ _Stop—struggling—!"_

 _Osamu ignored her as he frantically pulled at the chains, eyes wide and panicked. He had just been where he thought was reality—he spent a whole day at school, went on defense duty afterwards, and even participated in a team Rank Battle in the evening. His capture seemed nothing but a distant nightmare._

 _But then he woke up._

 _His struggling gradually decreased as his wrists began to burn._ Get a hold of yourself _, he chastised mentally,_ going postal won't improve your chances of escaping _._

 _Dr. Mariposa raised an eyebrow when he ceased his thrashing. "…are you okay?"_

 _"…_ _sorry," he apologized, "just a nightmare."_

* * *

Chika felt her chest constrict as Osamu's hands began to shake.

"That's…that's not my trigger, is it?" he stammered, "H…how…?"

"That's a standard B-Rank Border trigger," Commander Kido explained, "outfitted with the same exact triggers as your previous one."

There was a tense silence that seemed to suffocate the room.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Commander Kido asked, "I wasn't the one who gave you your Side-Effect."

"You made Usami-sempai give me a psychological evaluation," Osamu stated, "you obviously planned this, and I'm _asking_ **_why_**."

Chika flinched at the green-eyed brunette's apparent anger. "Now that we know that the Side-Effect is not exclusive to you," the Commander answered, "You're going to resign from you position as a B-Rank Agent."

Osamu narrowed his eyes as the realization set in.

"You're saying I'm expendable," he stated, "you _knew_ I wasn't the only one who could get this Side-Effect, and you wanted to know how to activate it so others could use it, didn't you?"

Osamu's face betrayed no emotion, but his eyes clearly burned with months of resentment and pain—pain the Commander seemed to almost pointedly ignore.

"Up to a point, yes," Commander Kido acknowledged, "It's important to choose wisely who gets to use this Side-Effect—"

" _Choose_!?" Osamu demanded, "This isn't something you can just _choose_ to have! Look at what happened to Kitora-san—you think she'll want to use that over and over again!? You don't even know if it'll _work_ for her!"

"We'll keep trying until it works," Commander Kido answered coolly, "Perhaps it'll even pave the way for those with a… _monstrously_ high amount of Trion to use."

Osamu seemed to hesitate, and Chika felt her fists clench underneath the table. She knew exactly what he was hinting at, and it _terrified_ her. _I'm not strong enough_ , she thought, _I couldn't…_

"If that's how you're going to go about it," Osamu stated coldly, "then that makes you no better than the neighbors who tortured me against my will."

The room seemed to hold its breath as Commander Kido narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll use this Side-Effect for _your_ benefit," he continued, "but I'm not going to harbor any illusions about it being for the 'greater good'. I already went through hell and back to get it, and I'm not going to let you try to force it on someone else. You keep talking about how neighbors are our enemies, yet you're willing to stoop _just_ as low—"

"What _I_ am doing is for the protection of Mikado City," Commander Kido snapped, making Chika flinch.

"I don't care _what_ your excuses are," Osamu snapped right back, "I just want to do the right thing—so if what's right happens to coincide with whatever plans you have, then so be it. But I will _not_ tolerate you threatening my teammates."

Commander Kido took a deep breath as he visibly forced himself down. "And what if the right thing is to retire and stay out of my way?" he asked, "You can't possibly believe that you can be a normal agent with a Side-Effect as dangerous as yours.

"Is it the Side-Effect you think is dangerous?" Osamu asked, "Or is it the person _using_ it that scares you?"

"I-I have an idea," Director Rindo spoke up suddenly, all eyes turning to him. "Mikumo-kun has been through a lot to get this Side-Effect—why not just let him learn how to use it instead of wasting unnecessary time and resources?"

"I agree," General Shinoda added hastily, "It would make more sense to just utilize Mikumo-kun's Side-Effect—we don't want it getting into the wrong hands."

Development Chief Kinuta nodded in agreement. "We don't have time or assets to chase down a rabbit hole when we have more pressing matters to deal with. Like he said, it'd be tiresome trying to force the Side-Effect on someone else."

 _…_ _They're avoiding Osamu's main point_ , Chika realized, _that they'd be just as bad as the neighbors who captured him if they went along with it._

"…Fine," Commander Kido said finally, "But don't expect any special treatment. For now you're going to remain a B-Rank agent, and you'll be banned from Rank Wars until you learn how to control your Side-Effect—we'll discuss more once you do."

"That's fine," Osamu agreed, "I'll be sure to master it before next month."

Commander Kido raised an eyebrow and Chika smiled. "Now that _that's_ settled," he murmured, "this meeting is adjourned."

Everyone stood to leave, and Chika couldn't get out of there fast enough.

* * *

"I'm not telling you _shit_!"

Kinuta sighed as the Neighbor woman continued to lash out unreasonably on the other side of the glass. "I _hate_ you!" she screeched, "You—you got my son _killed_!"

He heard a familiar chuckle behind him, causing his stress to skyrocket exponentially.

"Netsuki-san!" he bellowed, turning on the taller man. "Why the hell are you here!?"

"I was told to check on how you were doing with the Neighbor," he replied, smiling his usual fake smile. "And I think I can easily say—"

"Not well, no _duh_ ," Kinuta muttered, crossing his arms and sighing again. "All I asked is if the chains were too tight and she went off! We'll _never_ get anything out of her at this rate!"

"Well you can take your time," Netsuki replied, "the media doesn't know anything about this so it's not like you have reporters breathing down your neck for information."

The stout man raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Are you expecting a 'thank you' or something? Because I have some bad news for you—"

"—are you fucking _ignoring_ me!?" the Neighbor shouted, and Kinuta felt his blood pressure rise.

"A feisty one, eh?" Netsuki chuckled.

"I don't need your damn commentary Netsuki—!"

"—the fuck is that Four-Eyed bastard!?"

The two chiefs ceased their bickering immediately.

" _That_ got attention, huh?" the woman smirked, "I _asked_ where that Four-eyed bastard was—"

"That's none of your business," Kinuta snapped tiredly.

"Well…what about that girl he was with?" she tried, "The one with the fuck-ton of Trion? I'm curious about her…"

She grinned suddenly, making the Development Chief feel very uncomfortable. "Maybe if you let me meet her…I'll tell you about that Four-Eyed bastard's trigger?"

Kinuta and Netsuki glanced at each other, thinking polar opposite thoughts.

" _No_ ," Kinuta said firmly.

"But the _trigger_ —" Netsuki began.

"Amatori-kun doesn't need to be dragged into this," Kinuta insisted.

"You're just upset because you're pervy for her!" Netsuki shot back, "I know you like young children—"

"She's reminds me of my _daughter_ you damn asshole!" Kinuta shouted, his face turning crimson. "I'm a _father_ for fuck's sake!"

"That's what they _all_ say—"

"Kinuta-san?"

The chief whipped his head towards the door, actually relaxing a bit. "It's about time you got here," he snapped, "what took you so long!?"

"I had a few words with him," a less irritatingly familiar voice answered, stepping into the room.

"C-Commander Kido?!" Netsuki and Kinuta exclaimed in unison, bowing in respect.

The Border Headquarters Commander in Chief nodded in response. "Once you're through with him, bring in Mikumo-kun as well."

Forget being relaxed; now Kinuta legitimately felt like he was going to have a heart attack. "B-But Commander—I thought we decided _not_ to—"

"Have I made myself _clear_?" The Commander asked, narrowing his eyes and making the other two chiefs flinch.

"Y…yes sir," Kinuta grumbled.

"Good," Kido said, nodding in approval. "I'll leave you to it."

* * *

"Are you Amatori Chika?"

Chika looked up from her riffle to see an unfamiliar girl around her age clad in a B-rank uniform standing next to her, with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and almost unearthly, bright blue eyes. "Um…yes," she answered, standing up and bowing her head. "I-I'm Amatori Chika. N-nice to meet you."

"I'm Polilla," she said, pronouncing the double 'll' like a 'y'. "Nice to meet you."

The dark-haired girl couldn't help but feel that something was off when she glanced at Polilla's uniform again. "What squad are you in?"

"Oh, I'm a solo agent," she explained, "I just became B-rank last week!"

"Congratulations!" Chika said enthusiastically, "I hope you find a squad soon, so you can make it up to A-Rank!"

"Of course!" Polilla agreed, "I'm an attacker, but I was hoping to see how other types of people fight too—I'm hoping to become an All-Rounder one day, so I figured I should try to pick up on other styles early on."

"That's really smart," Izuho put in, "I should probably start doing that…"

"It'll help you become a better attacker too," Akane added, "so you can engage each type of fighter appropriately, no matter the situation. With that kind of determination, you'll make it up to A-Rank in no time!"

The blue-eyed blonde blushed, and Chika went back to shooting as the other three girls continued to converse. She didn't pay much attention as she focused on her training, until—

"Have you been looking at what squads you want to apply for?" Izuho asked, "You'll need to join one to get higher in the rankings."

"That's…what I actually came to talk to you guys about," Polilla said shyly, her face turning pink. "I don't know many people here…and I've heard a lot about you…can I join your squad?"

It took her a second for Chika to realize that she was speaking to her. "Join… _our_ squad?" she repeated uncertainly, the off feeling growing worse. "O-oh, I-I'm not the captain! You'd have to ask Osamu-kun—Mikumo Osamu I mean—since he's the captain…"

"Can you take me to him?" the blonde asked eagerly, bright blue eyes shining eagerly. "Please?"

"Aw," Izuho said, coming up behind her and patting Chika's head. "You'll have a little _kouhai_ of your own!"

"You've got quite the reputation now, huh?" Akane laughed in agreement, "Go on, we'll keep your spot until you get back!"

"T-thanks guys," Chika replied, bowing her head in thanks. "Let's go then…"

Polilla nodded enthusiastically as the two left the training area, though Chika couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

* * *

When the Commander left, Yuma glanced at the woman chained to the wall. It was hard to get a good look at her when she was fighting Osamu back then, but now he could clearly see the wrinkles and grey hairs in amidst the blonde—he had assumed she was young by the way they had fought, but she was obviously much, _much_ older.

"Osamu didn't tell me he beat up an old lady," he commented.

"If you're just going to in aggravate her for no reason then get out!" Kinuta snapped, "You're here to get information out of her, not mess around!"

"Why you—!" the neighbor woman growled, pulling on her chains. "What gives you the _right_ —"

"We're getting miles off topic," Kinuta interrupted, desperate to avoid another emotional fallout.

" _He_ started it!" the woman screamed, "How _dare_ you just make such offhand comments—"

As she went on, Kinuta sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "She's going off again," he muttered, "we're not going to get anything out of her now…"

"There has to be _something_ …" Yuma murmured as the woman continued to throw a fit, "any ideas?"

Kinuta shook his head in exasperation. "She's been like this ever since we've captured her—at this point I don't know what we can do…"

"…what did the Commander want with Osamu-kun?" Yuma asked suddenly, "You seemed pretty put off by it."

The development Chief sighed, staring at the still screaming woman. "You would be out of the loop since you weren't at the meeting," he muttered, "You know about Mikumo-kun's trigger, I assume?"

"It's no secret at this point," Yuma replied with a shrug, "Some people call him a 'blood trigger' user behind his back."

"Well the – _WHAT_!?" Kinuta screeched, " _THEY_ _ **KNOW**_!?"

His outburst was loud enough to quiet the neighbor woman. "…know what?" she asked.

"Well yeah," Yuma replied with a shrug, ignoring her. "I think the operators were talking about it at some point, and some C-Rank eavesdropped and spread it around."

Kinuta clutched his chest as he forced his breathing to remain calm. " _NETSUKI!_ "

"I-I'll get on it," the Media Countermeasures Chief stammered, rushing out of the room.

"Do you know what could happen if this gets out to the public!?" Kinuta demanded. "How in the _hell_ —!?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Yuma sighed, "It's mostly been just whispering behind his backs, but surprisingly no one's confronted Chika or I for it."

"I wonder how long _that's_ going to last," Kinuta muttered, running a hand over his face. "Are you ready to talk yet?"

"If you're referring to me then no," the neighbor woman spat, "not until—"

"You can go then," Kinuta stated, turning to Yuma. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"No, it's fine," Yuma assured him, "besides, it wouldn't be quite a waste if you told me what happened during that meeting."

"Meeting?" the woman asked, "What meeting?"

Kinuta rolled his eyes. "Another time," he muttered, "I wanted to tell you while the prisoner was screaming her lungs out, but now it seems like she's going to be hanging on to every word we say."

The neighbor woman rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered, "It's not like it matters—by the time it's all over with, he'll probably just give up and kill himself or something useful like that."

Yuma stared down at the neighbor, his carefree attitude dissipating into an intimidating aura.

"By the time _what's_ over with!?" Kinuta demanded.

The woman flinched, almost as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Nothing," she stated, turning away from them. "Just this whole fiasco over the trigger—the one that you _stole_ from me by the way."

Kinuta glanced over at Yuma, who shook his head. "You're lying," he growled, "What did you do?"

"I- _nothing_!" the woman insisted, her voice starting to sound panicked.

"There's another neighbor in Meeden," Yuma pressed, "Are they in Border?"

"Wha— _no_!" she shouted, "What are talking about!? I-I've been _here_ the entire time!"

Yuma's eyes widened at her answer. "Kinuta-san," he stated, "We might have a big problem."

Right as he said that, a giant _boom_ shook the building.

"…a _really_ big problem."


	12. Side-Effect

***sobs uncontrollably while slamming head against my desk* I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING OKAY**

 ***clears throat* I have NOT ignored your guys increasingly aggressive pleas asking me to clarify Osamu's Side-Effect—and while me botching Chapter 10 was entirely my fault, (thanks fubukitasuku999** **for telling me early :P) I'm trying to create a thing called SUSPENSE so bear with me…**

 **HOWEVER, you must ALSO excuse the fact that I'm used to writing psychological horror in the Shingeki no Kyojin fandom which normally does not involve much action, and thus is not one of my strong points.**

 **And my last excuse is that I started this before finishing the anime (I was like 40 or so episodes in, so it's not TOO unreasonable…I don't think) but I didn't quite have a firm grasp on the technology of the World Trigger universe at the time—however after finishing the anime, spending literal days doing literally nothing but reading through the manga and the fandom's wiki and just trying not to be a total dumbass, I think I've gotten a firmer grip on what the hell I'm doing :P**

 **So thanks for bearing with my stupidity, and don't forget to read and review! (seriously, reviews give me strength :P)**

 **EDIT: so, uh...my crappy editing strikes again! ONCE AGAIN i upload the WRONG FUCKING DRAFT...*sigh*what is WRONG with me...**

* * *

 _"_ _Osamu," Dr. Mariposa said through gritted teeth, "Can you PLEASE just activate the trigger?"_

 _The bespectacled brunette just stared at the trigger in his hand, refusing to say a word._

 _The doctor sighed and snapped her fingers, and two guards yanked on the chains binding Osamu's wrists. Pain lanced through his arms, and he suppressed a cry of pain as he fell to the floor._

 _"_ _Now," Dr. Mariposa said, "activate. The._ _ **Trigger**_ _."_

 _Osamu took a deep breath as the burning subsided. "Trigger…on."_

* * *

"Um," Chika murmured in an attempt to ignore her negative thoughts as they navigated the endless hallways, "What makes you want to join our squad, Polilla-san?"

"Polilla-kun is okay!" the blonde replied cheerfully, "And everyone talks about the 'Trion monster'—it got me really excited! To be on a team with someone so powerful…"

"I'm not really all that useful though," Chika admitted shyly, "I…can't shoot people."

She wasn't entirely sure why she said that, but Polilla smiled kindly. "That's okay," she said, "that'll make this much easier then!"

Chika stopped in her tracks, terror gripping her chest. "What do you mean by—?"

The next thing she knew, she was thrown against the wall, a massive pain exploding in her torso.

"You really _are_ useful, you know," the girl said, twirling around what looked like a giant hammer in her hands. "You're _very_ close to…Osamu-kun was his name, right? The person who killed my boss's son?"

 _K…killed…?_

"…you're a neighbor…?" Chika whimpered, holding her aching ribs.

"That's right," she said, swinging her hammer again. Chika barely managed to dodge, the throbbing morphing into a burning sensation. "I've worked with Dr. Mariposa for _decades_ —I'm a lot older than I look, you know!"

Polilla swung again, and Chika flew through another wall. She cried out in agony as she felt more of her ribs crack, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Aw, what's wrong?" Polilla taunted with a crazed smirk, "Why don't you just _shoot_ me, _Trion Monster_? Oh that's right—you're actually _weak_ , aren't you?"

The blonde stood over her, brandishing the hammer in the air as Chika coughed violently in a last ditch effort to force air into her lungs. "Do take it personally, please?" she asked politely, "Because it's supposed to hurt like a bitch—inside _and_ out."

She then swung down, only to be thrown back into the opposite wall.

"What the _hell_!?" she demanded, using the wall for support as she stood again. "…holy shit…"

Chika opened her eyes realizing that she had subconsciously summoned her Trion shield—and it deflected the blow completely, though little cracks had appeared from where the hammer made contact.

"Wow…" Polilla murmured, "They don't call you the 'Trion Monster' for nothing…it's not like you can keep that up again though!"

The blonde dashed at Chika again, and the brunette summoned her shield. When the hammer slammed down on it again, Chika was thrown back yet again through a wall, but she didn't feel herself hit the ground.

She was falling.

…and falling.

…and falling.

…and falling.

It took her a moment, but she eventually realized that she had been thrown through the outside wall of Headquarters—and was now freefalling down into the Forbidden Zone. Polilla dove right after her, raising her hammer up high for the final blow.

 _What would Osamu-kun say?_

"Like I said," Polilla grinned almost demonically, "this is _personal_."

 _He wouldn't want to take the easy way out._

"I…Ibis," Chika whispered.

 _Thank you for not letting me give up._

She channeled all the Trion that was left into her weapon.

 _We_ all _have to be strong…_

Polilla's grin vanished when she saw the massive sniper rifle appear in Chika's quivering hands.

 ** _Me_** _included_.

Chika took a deep breath, feeling the ground closing in as she fired.

* * *

"Do you know where Chika is?" Osamu asked for what had to be the fiftieth time today. She had left in a hurry after that disastrous meeting, and he was itching to see if he was okay—

"Whoa, are you okay?" Akane asked as Osamu swooned slightly, holding his head as a headache split through his skull. "Maybe you should—"

"I'm fine," the bespectacled brunette waved off, blinking the dark spots away. "I need to find Chika though…"

"She actually just left looking for you," Izuho replied—the first solid reply in his search for her.

"Yeah," Akane agreed, "a girl approached her about joining your squad, so she was planning on going to take her to you—I think her name was…Paulina?"

"Poly or something," Izuho corrected, "No—Polilla! That was her name!"

Something instantly didn't sit well with him at the sound of that name. "Polilla…" he murmured, forcing back another wave of dizziness. "They're probably heading to our squad room then. Thank you."

"No problem—" Akane and Izuho started in unison, only for a loud _bang_ to cut them off.

"What the hell was that?" Osamu demanded, "That sounded like…"

 _…_ _that's the direction of our squad room!_

"Mikumo-kun—!" Akane called after him, though he was already out of the training room.

* * *

"Usami-sempai," Yuma spoke as he ran towards the squad room, "are you by your computer?"

" _Um…no…_ " she stammered, "But I'm on my way right now—"

"Chika's in trouble," he explained, "That crash you heard earlier? She's getting attacked by a neighbor."

" _W-what!?_ " she shouted, " _Dang it—I was in the cafeteria, so it'll be awhile. Good thing I left my headset on!_ "

Yuma didn't reply as he continued to run in the direction of the bang, forcing himself to stay calm.

 _"_ _You're going after Osamu, aren't you!?" Kinuta demanded, "Are you out of your mind!?"_

 _"_ _No!" the neighbor shouted, "I'm_ not! _"_

 _"_ _She's telling the truth," Yuma informed him, "Who are you after? Chika?"_

 _The neighbor didn't even bother to reply, instead opting to turn away._

 _"_ _Go after her," Kinuta ordered, "I need to notify—"_

 _He didn't hear him finish, because he was already out the door._

"Osamu-kun," he said over the comm., "are you there?"

" _I am_ ," his captain replied, " _I'm heading to the source of the noise now—it sounded like it was near our squad room, and Izuho said Chika was headed there._ "

"I'll meet you at the room then?" Yuma asked, running past a group of confused C-Rankers. "If it's still there, that is?"

" _Right_ ," Osamu affirmed, " _If you get there first and someone is there—_ "

"I'll take care of it," Yuma promised, exhaling as he increased his pace.

 _Our squad just got back together_ , he thought, _I'm_ not _letting it fall apart again_.

* * *

Chika couldn't help the scream of pain that resulted in being propelled into the ground by her shot.

She was luckily still in her Trion body, though little cracks and fissures lined her skin as well as the last minute shield that she created to stop debris from crushing her. Her ribs were definitely broken, and she found herself unable to move without pain searing throughout her chest.

"Osamu-kun…Yuma-kun…Usami…sempai…" she coughed violently, which didn't help her aching body. "…help…"

" _A-Amatori-kun!?_ " Usami's voice crackled through her comm., " _I just made it to my computer—w-what happened!? Are you—?_ "

"A neighbor…attacked me…" she murmured, whining as she attempted to shift again. "I…I'm really hurt …"

" _Yuma and I are coming right now!_ " Osamu shouted frantically, " _D-don't worry, we'll be right there!_ "

" _It looks like Tachikawa Squad is on defense duty_ ," Usami added, " _they're also heading to your location, so just stay put, okay? Mikumo-kun, Yuma-kun, I'm sending you her coordinates right now._ "

"O…okay…" Chika whispered, the effort of talking starting to take its toll on her.

Suddenly there was a loud _thump_ as something landed on her now cracked shield, making her jump involuntarily.

When she saw what it was, she screamed.

* * *

Yuma almost hit the ground running when she started screaming.

On his way out of HQ, he stopped in his tracks when he saw a big, gaping hole in the wall leading out to the Forbidden Zone. _This must have been that crash earlier…_ he thought anxiously as he looked down into it.

He saw a green sphere on the ground, debris scattered around it. "Grasshopper," he said reflexively, and he hopped from the roof to the roof of a nearby building in the Forbidden Zone. Luckily he wasn't on that high of a floor in HQ, so it didn't take long to make it to the ground where Chika's shield was.

By the time he made it over to her, his head was pounding with the nonstop screaming.

"Chika?" he called out, "Chika, it's me, Yu—"

He stopped short what she was screaming about. "… _oh_."

" _Yuma, what's going on!?_ " Osamu demanded over Chika's panicking, " _Chika—is she okay!?_ "

Yuma shook his head, eyes wide. "…no," he replied, "…she definitely _isn't_."

The pain in her ribs was starting to become unbearable, but she just couldn't stop screaming.

Polillia's hair was mostly burned away, only smoking tufts remaining on a charred scalp. Parts of her skin had burned away completely, revealing blackened bone and muscle underneath. Her lipless teeth grinned down at Chika, eyes staring wide and unblinking without eyelids into hers—

She continued to shriek as she covered her eyes, unable to look at it anymore—but the memory of her charred, destroyed face smiling maddeningly down at her was already set in stone, making her scream even louder.

" _Make it go away_!" she wailed, " _I'm sorry I'm sorry_ _ **I'm**_ _ **so**_ _ **sorry**_ _—_ "

Suddenly the body was moved, and a familiar glasses-clad brunette and white haired stood over her, lightly knocking on the shield.

"Chika!" Osamu called out, "Chika, it's me! Put down the shield!"

She stared at him owlishly for a long moment, before whispering "Trigger…off…"

The shield disappeared and Osamu instantly scooped her up into his arms, holding her gently.

"It's okay," he cooed, running a hand softly through her hair. "It's okay…"

Chika shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "I…I killed her…" she whispered, "It's…it's all my fault—"

"No, it's not," Osamu interrupted firmly, "It's okay…"

The dark haired girl felt her body grow heavy, and without a second thought let unconsciousness take her away as she lost herself in her captain's warmth.

* * *

"Kitora-san?"

The Arashiyama Ace groaned, recognizing the voice instantly. "Of _course_ you'd come…" she muttered, sitting up in her hospital bed and glaring at the bespectacled brunette. "You know I'm fine—"

She covered her mouth as a violent cough tore through her throat.

"… _mostly_ fine," she finished stubbornly.

Osamu smiled slightly, sitting in the chair beside her bed. "I'm sorry for not coming in earlier," he apologized, "I—"

"—didn't get the memo, obviously," she muttered, "Still, a simple car accident isn't anything to get your pants into a twist about."

"Car accident…?" he asked, looking confused. "Is that what Border told everyone?"

 _Shit,_ she cursed mentally, _he knows…_ "Yes," she replied simply, averting her eyes.

The bespectacled brunette sighed, looking down at his hands. "…Chika's in the ICU," Osamu stated, "so I had to make sure she was okay before coming to visit."

" _What_!?" Kitora asked incredulously, "What happened!?"

She studied Osamu's forlorn expression. "She was attacked by a humanoid neighbor," he answered quietly, "and…she killed her."

There was a tense silence as Kitora processed his reply. "Chika's… _dead_?"

"I just said she's in the ICU," Osamu corrected, "Chika… _Chika_ killed the neighbor."

The ace shook her head, eyes wide. "I-I thought she couldn't—"

"—shoot people?" Osamu finished wistfully, "That was true…but she panicked and shot the neighbor with Ibis, and it…burned the neighbor alive."

"… _burned_?" Kitora asked, "…did she—?"

"She saw it all right," Osamu muttered, "Chika had been thrown out a window at HQ, and when Chika fired…the body…"

Kitora cleared her throat, desperate to not hear any more. "How'd she get hurt?"

"The neighbor had the ability to negate the Trion body," he stated, "and Chika ended up with several broken ribs."

There was an awkward silence between the two as Kitora failed to think of something to say.

Eventually, Osamu spoke up again. "Kitora-san," he said, "I…I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The trigger, I mean."

The ace sighed, figuring that was the case. "Mikumo-kun," she started, "It's not that big of a deal—"

"Yes it is," he cut off, "You've been hospitalized _twice_ now because of me."

" _You_ didn't stab me _or_ give me a seizure," Kitora stated matter-of-factly, "so stop being so dramatic—it's over and done with already."

A shadow passed over Osamu's face, and Kitora shifted uncomfortably.

"Kitora-san," he said, "if you were asked to use it again…would you?"

"What, the trigger?" Kitora asked incredulously, "It obviously doesn't work when I use it, so they wouldn't even—"

"—but if they did anyway," he insisted, "What would you do?"

Kitora opened her mouth to retort, but she found herself unable to.

 _…_ _would I say yes?_ She asked herself, _why_ would _I? Why would Border even_ ask _—?_

Then it clicked.

"Don't worry," he said with a small smile, "I…figured out how to activate the trigger, so I'm the only one who's qualified to use it—apparently I don't even need it to…you know…so Commander Kido declared it a Side-Effect."

The ace felt herself relax. "…oh…" she murmured, "But… _why_?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to go through what I did," Osamu answered softly, clenching his fists as he averted his eyes. "It'd be pointless— _and_ painful."

 _I don't want anyone else to go through what I did._

"…don't tell me…" she stammered, "this—"—she gestured around the room—"has happened to you before?"

"Not quite like this," Osamu admitted, "You got it much better—you woke up in a hospital with time to recuperate, while I—"

He stopped suddenly, something dark flashing in his eyes.

"…I didn't," he finished with a sigh, relaxing his hands.

Kitora couldn't help but feel guilty when she noticed how tired he sounded. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "but it just doesn't make any sense—why put yourself through all this?"

Osamu mumbled something under his breath, and Kitora sighed in exasperation. "What?"

"…what else am I supposed to do?" he asked quietly, nervously rubbing his wrists.

"Um, _retire_?" Kitora answered, "You know, have a _normal_ life?"

"Probably, but…" Osamu didn't seem convinced. "…it wouldn't feel right, going back to a normal, everyday life—no, being a part of Border _is_ normal, everyday life to me. The defense duty, the Rank wars…even the neighbor invasions…it's all _normal_ to me."

Sighing, Kitora brushed a stray hair behind her ear as she thought for a moment. Something didn't quite sit well with her after that explanation.

"Mikumo-kun," she said finally, "…what exactly _is_ your…Side-Effect?"

The bespectacled brunette huffed, rubbing his wrists. "Well…" he started, scratching his head. "I…I've thought about it for a little bit, but I'm not entirely sure. I guess it's…"

He took a deep breath, no doubt trying to find out how to word it. "Kitora-san," he stated, "you know how we fight neighbors in Trion bodies?"

"Naturally," she replied, "though Border's technology prevents it from hurting the physical body."

"So if a _neighbor_ were to be in a Trion body," Osamu said, "once they run out, they'd revert to their physical body unharmed, correct?"

"Just like us," the ace affirmed, "though not everyone has a 'Bail-Out' function. Even so, if they end up in their physical bodies they just retreat—it's not like our triggers could harm them anyway."

"So…" Osamu stated as he pushed up his glasses, "…I don't think I summon a Trion avatar when I use my Side-Effect."

Kitora raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by—?"

 _Wait a minute._

A memory jolted into existence—the day Osamu had returned he _was_ wounded, and yet he was in his Border uniform. However she _also_ remembered how the two humanoid neighbors had glowing limbs, as if they were made of pure Trion…

"You can probably do what _they_ can do," she explained, "The…the Trion—body part thing."

Osamu furrowed his brow in confusion before realization lit up his face. "You noticed it too?" he asked, "That _would_ make sense…it would also explain how I was able to fight despite being so heavily wounded—I must have been using Trion to stop the bleeding."

Kitora nodded in agreement. "I guess you were creating parts of your combat avatar to heal your wounds for the time being—and when you deactivated your trigger, you immediately fell unconscious because they reappeared…but if that's the case, then what the hell was your Raygust and Asteroid made out of?"

"Not Trion, _that's_ for sure," Osamu replied, "but…nevermind, that's stupid."

"Mikumo-kun," Kitora stated, "Unless you think your Side-Effect includes sharks shooting freaking _laser beams_ out of their eyes, I _guarantee_ that it's not stupid."

The bespectacled brunette thought for a moment, wondering if he should voice his opinion. "I…" he started, "…I think it might be _blood_."

"That…makes sense," Kitora replied, "as creepy as that sounds…both weapons were red instead of their normal color—but wouldn't that mean you'd be—?"

"Anemic?" Osamu answered, "Replacing blood for Trion…that would take a _lot_ of blood, especially since I'm a shooter. And while me being in a coma after coming back to Meeden isn't much of a surprise, I remember feeling lightheaded after summoning my combat avatar during that meeting…"

"Meeting?"

Osamu nodded, rubbing his wrists again. "Commander Kido was trying to bully me into resigning so he can use _you_ to experiment with the trigger," he explained with a smile, "It didn't work of course, so you don't have to worry about it."

For some reason, something was just not sitting right with Kitora. "…do you _want_ this Side-Effect, Mikumo-kun?"

"O-of _course_ not!" he exclaimed, "This—this Side-Effect has been nothing but a pain to me, but…"

"But _what_?" Kitora demanded, "If it's that painful, then just let _me_ use it. If you were able to figure it out then I can too."

He shook his head, a shadow covering his face. "Kitora-san," he murmured, "you've never _killed_ a person, have you?"

She felt her heart stop, her eyes widening at the question.

"I-I…no, I-I haven't," she stammered, "but—"

"Then why start now?" he asked, "I…I _hate_ this Side-Effect. I hate what it does and I hate what it's going to make me do. I've been _tortured_ for two months for it, and I've _killed_ a living, breathing _person_ with it. Neighbor or not, blood is blood and I _refuse_ to make someone else stain their hands with it just because I was too weak to do it myself."

Kitora had wanted so say that he was being a complete drama queen and to stop being so morbid, but she _definitely_ didn't want to say what slipped out involuntarily—

"…you've got a death wish, don't you?"

Osamu's head snapped up to her, eyes wide, and Kitora fought the urge to cover her mouth. "W-what?" he stammered, "I-I _can't_ die, not yet—I promised Chika and Yuma—"

"Can you shut up about _other_ _people_ for _one_ second!?" Kitora roared, slamming her hands down onto the mattress. "What about _you_? There has to be _something_ in it for _you_!

Suddenly the door opened, and the familiar crunching of rice crackers entered the room.

"How are you holding up, Ki—" Jin stopped abruptly when he noticed Osamu sitting beside the bed. "…did interrupt something?"

"Hey, Jin-sempai," Osamu replied with a smile, "I was just about to head out."

He turned to Kitora, and she involuntarily flinched at how… _normal_ he looked. "Get better soon, Kitora-san."

"T…thanks…" she mumbled, averting her eyes as he left the room.

"…I definitely interrupted something," Jin sighed when he was gone, "Good."

"Good?" Kitora asked, "What do you—"

She stopped herself, remembering Jin's foresight. "…you saved me from a bad situation, didn't you?"

"Not _bad_ per se," Jin admitted as he took a seat beside her, handing her another bag of rice crackers. "Awkward? Maybe. Uncomfortable? Definitely. But, ah…you should cut Mikumo-kun some slack."

The ace slouched slightly, guilt pressing down on her shoulders. "I know…" she mumbled, "It's just…he's being so damn _frustrating_."

"Well, it could've been worse," Jin pointed out, munching on another rice cracker.

"Huh?" Kitora ask, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Jin exhaled, "I thought for sure that Commander Kido would ask Osamu-kun to 'interrogate' the neighbor he captured, but luckily everyone else shot down that idea before the meeting even started."

"'Interrogate'…?" Kitora asked, her eyes widening in shock. "You mean…?"

Jin nodded wistfully. "Surprisingly, Kinuta-san had taken the most humane approach to it of all people—he went on about how it wouldn't be right to make _anyone_ do it, let alone Osamu-kun. Luckily everyone agreed, and it wasn't even brought up in the actual meeting."

Kitora couldn't help but feel like Jin was downplaying it a lot, but she decided to let it go. "Thanks," she murmured as she opened the bag of rice crackers, "…I've been getting sick of hospital food."

"I know," Jin grinned, making her roll her eyes. "My Side-Effect told me so."


	13. The Calm

_"_ _You're getting stronger."_

 _Osamu gritted his teeth as the pain ripped through him, refusing to cry out and collapse to the floor as he gripped the trigger with white knuckles. After a while, his nerves seemed to be hardening against it's effects—the experience was still agonizing and torturous, but the pain was becoming more manageable._

 _"_ _I'm impressed, really," Dr. Mariposa murmured, "Perhaps you're starting to get acclimated to the trigger…this means that we're making progress. Now, try again."_

 _Sighing, Osamu held out the trigger in front of him again. "Trigger, on."_

* * *

Osamu sighed, twirling his trigger around in his hand as he stared almost unblinkingly at the computer screen. He had been making notes based off of what he and Kitora discussed when he visited her last, and his eyes kept straying to his uninjured hand.

 _What would happen if I triggered it_ without _blood?_

The memories of the seizures kept him hesitating. It had hurt like hell, but he couldn't just keep putting it off—he had to get it under control before the next Rank Wars to avoid being completely useless.

 _Perhaps it'll even pave the way for those with a…_ _ **monstrously**_ _high amount of Trion to use…_

The brunette clenched his jaw as he gripped the trigger with a death grip, forcing himself to focus on his injured hand protesting to calm down. Chika has suffered enough from this—he wasn't about to put her through that kind of pain, especially if he could avoid it so easily...

 _You have a death wish, don't you?_

Osamu wasn't entirely sure what Kitora meant by that, but he definitely should at least thank her for helping him get him going in the right direction concerning his trigger—he was positive he'd be blundering in the dark if it weren't for her help.

He also felt the need to apologize, but he wasn't entirely sure for what.

The brunette relaxed his grip on the trigger, wincing as he saw his bandage blossom red. Gingerly picking it up with his uninjured hand, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Trigger, on."

* * *

"So," Kitora murmured, "Care to tell me what's going on?"

Jin sighed, his grin fading slightly. "Well," he replied, "I'm pulling a few strings, and…well it hasn't been easy."

Kitora raised an eyebrow, wondering what could possibly have been difficult. "Is your Side-Effect been giving you trouble?"

Her stomach dropped when she saw the guilt clouding the blonde's eyes.

"Jin," she murmured, pushing her uneasiness away. "What is it? What's going on?"

"It's…a long story," the Power Elite sighed, "But…you deserve to know."

Now she was completely terrified, though she didn't let it show on her face. "Fine," she stated, crossing her arms. "I'm listening."

* * *

A grunt tore through his throat as he collapsed to the ground, his body seizing up as that all too familiar burning sensation seared his skin. It hurt like hell, but luckily the few months of relief he'd had off didn't destroy his hardened nerves enough to make him scream aloud and alert everyone else—the last thing Osamu wanted to was to worry his teammates even further.

The pain began to subside right as the door opened, and Osamu sat back up into his chair with a sigh as he rubbed his aching wrists.

"…are you okay?" Yuma asked, peeking into the room. "I thought I heard a thump, so…"

"I stubbed my toe," he lied lamely, running a hand through his hair.

Yuma raised an eyebrow, and Osamu wondered why he even tried. "…I was trying to activate my Side-Effect," the Megane-kun admitted, subconsciously rubbing his wrists again. "I was hoping to be able to use it without blood, but…it didn't quite go as planned."

"Side-Effect?" his teammate asked, "I thought it was the trigger that allowed you to…"

"'Negate Trion?'" Osamu supplied, turning back to the computer as he resumed typing. His hand still hurt, but he decided to simply change the bandage later. "The trigger I activated during the meeting was an average Border trigger, so it turns out it's actually a Side-Effect. Kitora-san helped me theorize about what it is that happened to me, and I'm putting it into a report to give to Kinuta-san…"

"…oh," Yuma replied, looking over his captain's shoulder. "'Trion is replaced by blood'? That doesn't sound very healthy."

"It's not," the brunette muttered, rubbing his forehead. "After the meeting I was about ready to pass out—I'm pretty sure it was one-hundred percent adrenaline that stopped me from dying when we got to Chika after that neighbor…"

"Well at least you're starting to get the hang of it," Yuma said, giving the Megane-kun a thumbs up. "At this rate you'll be using regular Trion again in no time!"

Osamu blinked, not comprehending. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking down at himself. "I…"

…he stood abruptly when he realized that Yuma was right—there he stood, clad in his full Border uniform.

"Did you really not notice?" Yuma asked, cocking his head to the side. "Maybe you should take a break if you're that unaware…"

"But…" Osamu trailed off, staring at his now gloved hands. He wasn't entirely sure if he was in his actual Trion body or his normal body that manipulated his blood, but either way he felt winded from the entire transformation.

"Raygust," he commanded, reaching his left hand out and closing his eyes.

"Osamu-kun I don't think—"

The bespectacled brunette stifled another cry of pain and fell to the floor, promptly cutting off the white haired neighbor. A searing pain lanced up his outstretched arm, but Osamu found his fist tightening around Raygust's handle.

"…Osamu-kun," Yuma said hesitantly, helping the bespectacled brunette back into his chair. "I hope this doesn't happen every single time you use it…"

Osamu shook his head, a grin spreading on his face as he lifted up the glowing, _yellow_ Trion blade. "Of course not," he replied breathlessly, "It was a _lot_ worse, but I-I wouldn't even be able to summon my combat avatar—let alone my weapon! The fact I can use means—"

An idea struck his head, and he held out his other hand. "Aster—"

"Osamu-kun _wait_ ," Yuma interrupted sternly, grabbing his hand. "You're _shaking_ —"

"I'm already so close though," Osamu insisted, turning back to the computer and typing furiously. "I honestly thought I lost the ability to use Trion, but…"

 _But what if I can't use blood anymore?_

"Dammit," he muttered, grabbing the pen sitting on the table.

The pen was plucked out of his hand and Osamu turned to Yuma, who held the pen in the air.

"…Yuma," he sighed, standing up and reaching for the pen. "I'm taller than you—"

The white haired neighbor slipped the pen in his shirt sleeve, crossing his arms. "Osamu-kun," he stated, "you _need_ to take a _break_."

A part of him wanted to insist that he was fine, but a larger part of him felt himself becoming slightly light headed. "I guess you're right…" he murmured, plopping back down onto the seat as he removed his glasses and wiped them with his shirt. "What do you suggest I do?"

"We can go visit Chika," Yuma replied immediately, "you know, before you become an exhausted mess."

Osamu thought for a moment, contemplating his offer—he'd been working for a while now, so one break probably couldn't hurt…

"Besides," Yuma added, "I'm sure Chika misses you."

The bespectacled brunette finally made up his mind. "Fine by me," he decided, putting his glasses back on as he stood and stretched his arms. "Let me get my coat."

* * *

When Jin finished, Kitora found it difficult to breathe.

"Let me get this straight," she stated, "You _knew_ Mikumo-kun was going to get kidnapped…let it happen…thought he'd die…but he _didn't_ so now your Side-Effect is messed up?"

"It's…a lot more complicated than that," Jin replied, his smile replaced with a frown. "Mikumo-kun…his 'future' ended while he was held hostage by those neighbors…but something happened, and when he survived—which I am very grateful for—his future…didn't catch with him."

"So you're saying that he had _no_ alternate futures?" Kitora asked, " _All_ of them led to him dying?"

"Not _all_ of them," Jin replied, "While all the _other_ ends led to thousands or millions of deaths—even a few with the destruction of the human race—there were some where Mikumo-kun _would_ survive…"

"…but millions of people wouldn't," she finished, "you were basically choosing the lesser of two—or _several_ , I guess—evils for the benefit of humanity."

Jin sighed, smiling slightly. "I'm surprised you understand," he murmured, "Everyone else…well, they aren't too happy I sacrificed their favorite kouhai to save the world."

Kitora rolled her eyes. "Well it's easy for _them_ to be upset," she muttered, " _they_ didn't have to make that choice, so they blame you easily. I bet they would have selfishly saved the stupid Megane-kun at the expense of mass extinction anyway—besides, he's so reckless that he'd be pissed off if you _didn't_ let him rush to his death."

This time, the power elite laughed. "I guess you're right," he said, "but they do have a right to be mad—"

"They have a right to be _sad_ ," Kitora interrupted, "yeah I'll admit I was _sad_ when Mikumo-kun got kidnapped, but I'm not going to take it out on you. If anything, I'm _relieved_ that _someone_ knew what was going on—it means that had he _actually_ died, it wouldn't have been in vain."

"…thanks," Jin replied quietly, "That means a lot, telling me that I didn't make a horrible mistake."

"Of course," she replied, "knowing the future sounds stressful, and people do stupid things when they're mad so don't take it personally."

"Yes it is…" the Power Elite agreed, scratching the back of his head. "And I've stopped doing that a _long_ time ago—just wasn't worth it."

 _You have a death wish, don't you?_

As much as Kitora wanted to just end the conversation there on a happy-ish note, she had too many questions and had no idea when Jin was going to visit her again—or if the future would prohibit him from answering them later on.

"You know…" Kitora murmured, shaking the thoughts away. "It actually makes sense—the lack of a future thing, I mean."

Jin raised an eyebrow at her, and she elaborated. "When Mikumo-kun visited me at the hospital, he sounded so… _desperate_ to help Amatori- and Kuga-kun," she explained, "Like his life would be _pointless_ if he didn't—"

"He's not _there_ yet," Jin warned, "remember, this is _Mikumo-kun_ we're talking about—he's a lot stronger than that. He's just…a bit _lost_ I guess, like he senses that his 'future' has already passed and isn't quite sure what he's supposed to do with himself."

"I know that," she mumbled, "this is the same guy who just _decided_ not to die, took on the very weapon he was _tortured_ with and is trying to master it, and still had the nerve to say that he's _weak_. He may fight like a girl and have the stamina of a potato, but his will is as big as Tachikawa's ego."

"But you're a girl," he pointed out, "and you fight quite well."

"The point _is_ ," Kitora insisted, "It's in Mikumo-kun's very _nature_ to be stubborn."

The power elite laughed again despite the situation. "Yeah," he murmured, "It's just… _stressful_ not knowing his future like everyone else's—I don't know how you guys handle not knowing what's going to happen to the people you care about all the time…"

Kitora nodded understandingly. "It _is_ annoying," she stated, "but we just trust that they'll be okay—and if it turns out they're _not_ then we get pissed off an do something about it. Either way, it's stressful, it's annoying, and it's life."

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't even finish that," Kitora snapped, "You have enough to deal with without having to feel guilty, okay?"

"Like I said," Jin replied, "not everyone really thinks the same way…"

His smile dissipated suddenly, his eyes widening in fear. " _Shit_."

"What?" Kitora demanded, "What's wrong? What do you see?"

"Your future," he muttered, hastily standing up and walking to the door. "Mikumo-kun's in it."

" _What_!?" she exclaimed, "Is that _possible_ —"

"Yes, because it's _your_ future and not his," he replied quickly, "I-I'll be right back—"

"I'm coming with you," Kitora blurted suddenly, "You shouldn't go alone."

Jin stared at her for a few moments, then sighed. "You have your trigger on you, don't you?"

"I stole it off Arashiyama's coat pocket when he wasn't looking," she confessed, reaching underneath her pillow and pulling it out. "I'll explain later— _Trigger, on!_ "

When she transformed, she plucked off the heart monitor off her finger. "We have about ten seconds before someone panics, so let's go."

The power elite chuckled softly, pulling his trigger out of his pocket. " _Trigger, on_."

* * *

"This place is still deserted, even after two months…"

Kasumi Mikumo made her way through the now remodeled park, sitting down on a lone bench with her trusty stick in her lap. She had come to this place every day for the past two months to wait for her son to come back, but three weeks later she finds her feet wandering back to the place where it all started once again. The people of Mikado City avoid the park like the plague due to the urban legend that anyone who steps foot in it would never return, even after it's beauty was restored in full.

Even so, Kasumi didn't mind—to her, the emptiness gave the park a hauntingly peaceful aura. The plants were still meticulously taken care of despite the lack of human activity, and the roar of the city was reduced to a gentle hum. It made her feel like she stepped into another world, just like her son did before her.

Though she knew it wasn't as peaceful as this.

"I didn't know people still came here."

The dark-haired woman blinked, snapping out of her reverie as another woman stood before her. She had blonde hair pulled up neatly in a bun and wore an office outfit with a white doctor's jacket. She looked around Kasumi's age, but something about her eyes and smile put her on edge.

"I should say the same to you," Kasumi commented as the blonde woman took a seat beside her on the bench. "I've been coming here every day for the past two months."

"Why is that?" the blonde asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well…" Kasumi debated whether or not to tell her about her son. "…it brings back memories," she decided.

"That it does," the blonde replied, looking up at the cloudy sky. "…my son went hunting for rabbits once in this very park."

Kasumi's instincts suddenly went onto high alert. "Did he?" she asked calmly, "My son played in this area as a child too."

"That sound believable," the blonde woman smiled, "there are so many rabbits here in Mikado City, almost like an infestation."

"There are many," Kasumi agreed, "but they're pretty harmless. They're just bunnies after all."

The blonde woman chuckled softly. "What's your name?" The blonde asked, turning from the sky to Kasumi.

"…Kasumi," she answered with a slight nod. "And you are?"

The smile on the blonde's face twisted into a smirk, and Kasumi instinctually knew exactly who it was.

"Dr. Mariposa," the blonde answered, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Kasumi Mikumo."


	14. Before The Storm

***inhales deeply* FINALLY**

 **I honestly thought I'd NEVER get this chapter done...special thanks to fubukitasuku999 for beta'ing it for me :P**

* * *

 _Osamu found himself subconsciously pulling on his restraints._

I'm fine _, he thought as his wrists continued to burn,_ I'm still okay.

 _The side-effect of being stuck in any place for who knows how long is forgetting that something else existed beyond one's surroundings_ — _and that was a pit Osamu refused to fall into. Even though he knew his chances of escaping were now slim to none, he wasn't going to give his captors the benefit of breaking his mind along with his body. The pain kept him awake until it simply wasn't physically possible, and the lingering sting allowed for a dreamless_ _sleep._

 _The door opened, and he didn't need to look up to know it was Dr. Mariposa. Judging by the way she stopped well out of arm's reach, the bespectacled brunette guessed that she was worried about something_ — _maybe even afraid._

 _It took him a moment, but he realized why she was staying so far away_ — _he was still tugging on the chains, subconsciously leaning towards her with clenched jaw and fists._ _Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his grip, letting his arms dangle instead. When he did the blonde woman finally stepped closer, though her silence betrayed her tension._

 _After a long pause, she murmured a sentence he most certainly wasn't prepared to hear._

" _...I owe you an apology."_

* * *

Kinuta could not believe this was happening.

"Calm down!" he snapped as the Media Countermeasures Chief continued to have a mental breakdown. "All of the A-rank squads are out looking for her as we speak—"

"What can they do against _that_ kind of trigger!?" Netsuki demanded hoarsely, "Where's Mikumo-kun when we need him!?"

"K-Kinuta-san, Netsuki-san!" Chief Engineer Terashima shouted as he barged into the room. "Kido-danchou is calling for an emergency meeting—everyone's required to attend."

"We'll be there in a moment…" Kinuta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd honestly thought _he_ was the one that should be falling apart—especially since this _was_ more or less his fault to begin with (though he'd never admit it)—but when Netsuki found out _he_ flipped out, leaving it up to Kinuta to get him back together and haul him to the meeting.

"Imaging what the press will think!" his coworker lamented, "Border is doomed— _Earth_ is doomed! Mass hysteria insues!"

"Netsuki, get ahold of yourself!" Kinuta bellowed, shaking the Chief by his collar. "How about you imagine what the press will make of one of Border's higher-ups crying a damn _river_ instead of _fixing_ the situation!? Those piranhas would have a _field day_ with that!"

He wasn't sure if it was his words or his constant shaking that finally got to him. "I-I'm sorry," Netsuki apologized, still looking panicked. "It's just—how are we supposed to get out of this!?"

"Not by whining and moaning about it, _that's_ for sure," Kinuta muttered, releasing Netsuki's collar. "Now hurry up! We don't have time to lose—and if we end up late I'm blaming you!"

* * *

"I see," Kasumi murmured, "you're the one who kidnapped my son, yes?"

The neighbor woman nodded while she twisted the little ring on her finger. "I'm surprised that you're not showing any fear," she replied, "most would be terrified of the one who stole their child away."

"I'm not," the brunette stated, "In fact, I'm simply upset—I have a tendency to hold grudges you know."

"So am I, obviously," Dr. Mariposa muttered, subtly wiping her eyes. "Trigger, on."

A glowing blue Kogetsu appeared in what Kasumi realized were glowing hands, but she didn't look fazed. _It'd be best to assume that it operates like Osamu's_ , she thought to herself, _she can probably kill me with that._

The brunette woman ducked and rolled to her feet as the blonde suddenly stabbed at her with her Kogetsu. Her phone was in her pocket, but she couldn't very well grab it while avoiding getting sliced to pieces—

Her train of thought halted when the sword grazed her leg, though she refused to cry out or stumble.

"You can't keep this up forever!" Dr. Mariposa declared, thrusting at her again. "Just let me hit you already—!"

Finally seeing an opening, Kasumi slipped behind the neighbor woman and in one fluid motion slammed her hands against her ears.

Letting out a scream of pain, Dr. Mariposa fell to her knees, cradling her head in her hands."Y…you…you bitch…" she growled, "I'll…I'll…"

Not letting the blonde have any time to react, Kasumi gripped the heavy stick with white knuckles and slammed it right into her temple." _ACK—!_ " Dr. Mariposa cursed, collapsing onto the ground while holding her head. "Damn it…"

Kasumi limped over to the woman and picked up the Kogetsu. "Interesting color," she murmured, "You probably can draw blood with this, can't you? Like my son's trigger?"

Dr. Mariposa grunted, forcing herself back to her feet. "Trigger, off."

The Kogetsu disappeared, returning to the ring on the neighbor woman's finger.

"I see you have quicker reflexes than I realized," she murmured, "But you'll run out of breath sooner or later."

Kasumi winced, glancing back down at her leg. As much a she hated to admit it, the neighbor woman was right—she'll bleed out at this rate unless she gets some medical attention.

"What do you want?" the brunette asked, "if you're planning on killing me, now is your chance."

"Tch," Dr. Mariposa huffed, "practically nothing phases you, does it? _Trigger on_."

The glowing katana returned in her hand, and Kasumi braced herself as the neighbor woman lunged at her again.

"W-what the—!?" Kasumi dodged at the last second, taking Dr. Mariposa's arm and cranking it behind her back. "O- _oww_!"

"I have a question," Kasumi stated, tightening her grip as the neighbor woman struggled fruitlessly. "You had a son, did he have a father?"

"No duh," Dr. Mariposa spat, "how do you think Polilla got here? He's going to rescue me any day now—but why the hell do _you_ care?"

Kasumi hummed as she let go of her arm. "Just curious," she confessed.

"Well, back to the problem at hand," Dr. Mariposa decided, "Trigger, on!"

Nothing happened.

"W-what the—?!" the neighbor woman glanced at her left hand, eyes wide in shock.

"Looking for this?" Kasumi asked, holding up the ring. "I figured you wouldn't be able to do much without it, so I decided to take it off your hands."

The brunette then slipped the ring right above her wedding ring. "This father of your son is your husband, correct?"

Dr. Mariposa averted her eyes. "Not quite," she confessed, her hands tightening into fists. "It's...complicated."

"Hmm," Kasumi hummed, "A lover then?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," the neighbor woman spat out, "If you're going to kill me then do it already—unless you're stalling until help arrives."

To Kasumi, the latter seemed like a good idea. "No need to be shy," she replied, "Since we seem to be at an impasse, we should chat for a while. Neighbor or not, I know all about how 'complicated' something like this can be."

The neighbor woman raised an eyebrow at her, most likely confused. "...what are you talking about?"

"Well," Kasumi started, limping over to the bench and sitting down. "For one, Osamu's father isn't with us."

Dr. Mariposa raised an eyebrow as she did the same, holding her head. "He's dead, then?"

"I don't think so," the brunette replied, "he's just...always abroad. We're married, and I'm sure he loves us both very much, but work prevents him from living with us."

There was long pause between the two, broken by Dr. Mariposa's sigh. "Damn," she muttered, "You're right."

"How so?"

Dr. Mariposa looked down, rubbing her wrists. "Well, your situation is pretty similar with how my...my son's father isn't normally present due to work," she replied, "but...he certainly doesn't give a damn about us. In fact, I bet that he finds Musca's death a _good_ thing…"

"But you said he'd rescue you any day now, didn't you?" Kasumi questioned, "He _must_ care about you—"

"He cares about my _research_ ," Dr. Mariposa spat, "that's the primary reason he 'married' me—Musca was just an unwanted nuisance to him! I-It seemed like _I_ was the only one who cared about him, and... _I_ let him die..."

"I understand," Kasumi murmured, "Like I said earlier, I've been waiting three months to beat you over the head with a stick—but it hasn't changed anything, has it? Time hasn't rewinded, the damage hasn't undone—and killing me or my son will only have the same, disappointing effect."

Dr. Mariposa took a shaky breath as she calmed down. "Are you saying that to spare your own life, or your son's? Because I haven't changed my mind about killing at least one of you."

"My son's, obviously," Kasumi chuckled, wiping her eye the same way the neighbor woman had earlier. "As his mother, I'd do _anything_ to ensure his safety."

Dr. Mariposa's eyes widened when Kasumi held out her left hand and closed her eyes.

"Trigger...on."

* * *

"301...302...here we are," Arashiyama murmured as he glanced down at the small piece of paper in his hand, then the room number. "303—"

Suddenly the door opened, and the captain found himself facing the very person he came to see.

"K-Kitora?" Arashiyama stammered, "Are you okay? What's going on!?"

"A-Arashiyama-san?!" she exclaimed, blinking rapidly in shock.

"Wait, why are you in your Border uniform?" Arashiyama asked, "Is something—"

"That's not important," Kitora waved off impatiently, "What are you doing here?"

"That neighbor escaped," Jun answered darkly, "all the other A-Ranks are searching for her as we speak, but I decided you were our first priority."

"Naturally," Jin agreed, "Hopefully you're smart thinking will make things a bit easier."

"Like that ever happens," Kitora muttered, "Where's Satori-san and Tokieda-san?"

"They're with Amatori-kun," Jun answered, "I couldn't just leave her alone—she was the one last attacked, so she's—"

"The next target," Jin finished, " _But_ thanks to your great timing and smart thinking, Chika will make it out alive."

Jun rose an eyebrow. "I get the feeling something's bad is about to happen."

"It'll be fine," the Power Elite assured him with his trademark smile, "My Side-Effect tells me so."

As much as Kitora wanted to believe it, she just couldn't bring herself to do so.

* * *

The Kogetsu handle formed in her hand, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her hunch was correct—it acted similarly to Osamu's trigger, however instead of blood it responded to tears. She had been afraid of what the consequences would be if she was wrong, especially when she thought back to her son.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Kasumi held out the handle of the sword blade to the neighbor woman, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you kill me," Kasumi stated, "so you can see for yourself if you'll feel accomplished or not."

"Wha—are you _insane_!?" Dr. Mariposa demanded indignantly, "I'm not going to just _stab_ you!"

"You most certainly were a few minutes ago."

Dr. Mariposa went to protest, but stopped herself. "...you're right," she murmured, "but…"

Kasumi winced suddenly, the throbbing in her leg starting to burn. "Ah," she huffed, "If you don't, this cut might…"

"No," Dr. Mariposa said resolutely, standing up and taking of her jacket. "Give me your leg."

The brunette woman did as she was told as the neighbor woman tore her jacket and began to tie it around her injured leg. "It's Trion," she stated, "it should hold until you get some medical help."

"...thanks…?" Kasumi trailed off, slightly confused. "But...why?"

"I want to kill you myself," Dr. Mariposa said bluntly, "I'm not going to let you die by a stupid infection. Besides…"

Kasumi winced as the neighbor woman tightened the bandage. "...I'd rather kill you than your son."

"...is that because I asked nicely?" she asked, and Dr. Mariposa rolled her eyes in response.

"It's because killing your son would be pointless," the neighbor woman muttered, "because then _two_ children would have died before their time, and that would only make things worse."

 _That explains why she escaped and came to_ me _instead of Osamu_ , Kasumi thought with a smile. "You're absolutely right," she agreed, "though I'm surprised that it's not for 'making him feel the same pain as you did' or something along those lines."

"...that too..." Dr. Mariposa added unconvincingly, "Oh don't give me that look. Your son _did_ kill mine."

"After you tortured mine for three months."

"I wasn't _trying_ to torture him!"

"And I'm sure he wasn't _trying_ to kill your son."

Dr. Mariposa crossed her arms and looked away. "I already said I wasn't going to kill him," she grumbled, "Whatever, let's just get you some help..."

Deciding that was most likely the best she was going to get, Kasumi glanced down at her leg. "...thank you."

"You're not welcome," Dr. Mariposa replied bluntly, "and besides, you won't be thanking me when I kill you— _properly_ this time."

 _Actually_ … Kasumi thought amusedly, _I think I just might_.

* * *

"Reiji-sempai?"

The Tamakoma-1 agent lifted his head, the déjà vu hitting him like a brick as he saw Chika staring directly at the door.

"…Amatori-kun," he murmured, already sensing what she was going to say next.

"…was that a nightmare?"

For the first time in a long time, tears threatened to break his neutral façade, but he valiantly held them back. "…Amatori-kun…"

"…I thought it was a nightmare."

Reiji stood with an exhale, sitting down beside his kohai on the hospital bed. "…I'm sorry," he said as she continued to cry, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I…I wish I could have been there to—"

" _No_ ," Chika interrupted, "People always get hurt trying to protect me, so please… _please_ don't say you wish you were there."

"You don't mean that," Reiji cut off sternly, "Amatori-kun—"

"Did you see her?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes starting to well up with tears. " _I_ did that—"

" _Chika_ ," Reiji repeated, "It's not your fault. You were backed into a corner—it was her or you. The fact you were able to…well, it makes you stronger than most. Don't forget that, okay?"

The brunette girl relaxed suddenly, leaning onto her senpai's shoulder. "…this must be how Osamu-kun felt," she murmured, wiping her eyes. "…I said the same thing to him after he came back…"

Reiji smiled sadly, wrapping an arm around her. "Well it's true," he replied, "isn't it?"

Chika smiled, her eyes fluttering shut. "Yeah…"

When he was sure she was asleep, Reiji laid her back down on the bed and left the room without another word.

As he closed the door, the sound of feet pounding on the tile caught his attention as he saw two familiar Border agents sprinting towards him. "Tokieda-san? Satori-san?"

"Hello," Tokieda greeted, "I assume you heard the news, which is why we're here."

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "What news?" he asked, "I haven't heard anything."

"Oh boy," Satori sighed, shaking his head. "Border is turned on it's head—that neighbor lady Mikumo-kun captured _escaped_!"

Reiji blinked, eyes wide. " _What_?"

"That's correct," Tokieda affirmed, "And the body of the one that attacked Chika went missing as well. We're here primarily because Kitora-san's a floor below us, but Arashiyama-san wanted to make sure Amatori-kun was safe as well."

"Remind me to thank him later," Reiji murmured. _Looks like I'm staying longer than I intended_.

"You can go on if you want," Satori said, "Tokieda-kun and I can—"

"It's fine," the redhead interrupted, "I'm staying."

Satori blinked while Tokieda let a small smile slip by.

"Suit yourself," Tokieda acknowledged, "She's your kouhai after all."

"Reiji!"

The redhead turned and saw Jin walking up to them, Arashiyama and Kitora following behind.

"Kitora-san, you should be resting," Reiji stated, "Jin, what's going on?

"Hey," the Power Elite smiled, though the redhead saw clear through it. "We uh...got a bit of a problem—"

Suddenly the door opened again, and Chika poked her head in. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Arashiyama answered with an easygoing smile, "Just some Border things to take care of."

Chika didn't seem to buy any of it. "...Osamu-kun's in trouble, isn't he?"

Reiji sighed, not surprised in the least. "We'll handle it, I promise," he assured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to Osamu."

"I want to help," she insisted, "I'm pretty much healed, and if it's one of _those_ neighbors I can stand a chance."

"But Chika—"

"I have my trigger," she added, as she revealed it from behind her back. "Osamu gave it to me just in case something happened."

"Of course he did," Kitora replied as she rolled his eyes. "Though I can't say I blame him—Arashiyama basically did the same thing."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Reiji fussed, "We can handle—"

" _Get down_!" Jin shouted suddenly, and yanked Kitora down to the ground as Reiji shielded Chika just in time for the door to her hospital room to explode.

"Oh," an unfamiliar voice drawled, "It seems like you brought some friends, Trion Monster!"

* * *

Yuma glanced at his captain, watching him rub his wrists nervously.

It took him a while to notice the odd habit, but the white haired neighbor was certain that this was relatively new—new enough that it may be directly linked to him being in captivity for two months.

"Are you alright?"

Osamu jumped, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Y-yeah," he murmured, "I'm fine."

It wasn't a lie, but Yuma certainly wasn't convinced. Even so, he didn't press any further as the two of them continued their walk to the hospital. It was nice outside, and they were cutting through the park since it was quicker—

 _Of course_.

"Yuma?" Osamu asked when the white haired neighbor stopped in his tracks. "Is something wrong?"

"…I should be asking you that," Yuma replied, "Are you sure you feel comfortable—"

"It's fine," the brunette cut off, continuing forward. "I can't avoid it forever, so let's just keep going."

An tense silence ensued as Osamu continued forward, Yuma following close behind.

After a while, Yuma found his mind wandering to the last time he was here—the park completely empty and destroyed, those glasses lying shattered and abandoned in the destruction…

Yuma glanced at his captain again, his face unreadable. If it was difficult for him, it would definitely difficult for Osamu—even with the logic that taking the roundabout way would add at least fifteen minutes to their walk, it can't be easy…

"It was just like this."

It took him a second for Yuma to realize that Osamu was probably talking to himself, but he decided to respond anyway. "Normal, you mean?"

Osamu jumped slightly, not expecting his answer, "...kind of…" he replied hesitantly, "It's just...what _is_ normal for Border agents?"

"That's a good question," Yuma agreed, "Fighting rouge neighbors and Trion monsters is normal along with the calm days like these, huh?"

"Yeah…" Osamu murmured, "...it's kind of the reason why I stayed."

Yuma smiled knowingly. "You definitely would go crazy just being a civilian," he noted, "you're too much of a sucker for those in need—besides, Chika and I would have to retire too."

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows. "...why?"

"Because you're our captain, duh," Yuma replied, "I said I'd only do it if _you_ were our captain, and I'm not sure Chika would want to be a solo agent—not that you'd ever let her."

"...no, I wouldn't," Osamu replied, "I said I'd take care of her…"

"And I'd say you've been doing a great job," Yuma pointed out, nudging him playfully. "I wouldn't sweat a thing."

Osamu shrugged, averting his eyes. "...everyone else says that I would do better retired or as an operator," he murmured, "But…"

"But you want to protect everyone around you," Yuma finished knowingly, "trust me, I'm glad you're back as our captain."

The brunette smiled, blushing slightly. "So am I," he admitted, "I-"

Osamu stopped abruptly when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Ah, hold on a second…" he murmured, pulling it out and checking the screen, "It's a text from my mom…"

His eyes widened, and Yuma raised an eyebrow. "What's it say?"

"She...she says she's in the hospital," Osamu stammered, "...and the neighbor is with her."


	15. Think

**Sorry, this is so short, I've been heck-a busy with college work, even over spring break :P but FINALLY I've got this out...**

It wasn't often that Arashiyama acted without thinking.

Sure there was battle instinct, but for the most part he normally weighed his options before making a decision in order to keep his family, teammates, and everyone else safe. Acting fast and acting rash aren't always the same thing, he would always tell his siblings in hopes that they wouldn't need to know from experience like he has.

If only he'd listen to his own advice…

"You...you look like…" Chika trailed off, her eyes widening in fear.

"That girl you killed?" the man asked, "Funny how you were still able to recognize me, even with my disguise gone."

"Wait a minute," Satori exclaimed, "You're the girl who attacked Amatori-kun!?"

"I actually have a shapeshifting Side-Effect," Pollia replied with a smirk, "You humans are such suckers for little girls, it's weird. The fact that you let me join no questions asked is pathetic!"

Arashiyama couldn't deny that he looked like the girl's older brother, making it all the more unnerving. "You're supposed to be-"

"Dead, right," the man finished, "Truth is, I'm still using my Side-Effect now."

Polilla shimmered for a moment, then suddenly his skin looked almost like it was rotting-burns spread all over his body, his hair falling out and skin wrinkling almost instantaneously. His face twisted from a pompous smirk to an almost demonic grin as everyone gasped and stepped back in fear.

"Arashiyama-san," Kitora stated, "W-we should get the civilians out of-JUN WHAT THE HELL-!?"

It wasn't until after he realized his legs were moving that he probably should've thought this through a bit more.

"You must have a death wish!" the neighbor shouted, raising up their hammer. "Very well, I might as well oblige!"

Polilla laughed maniacally as he swung the hammer down, but luckily Jun's battle instincts still work in his normal body. The captain dodged in the nick of time, wincing when he didn't move as fast as he thought he would.

Right, Arashiyama thought with a huff, I forgot to activate my trigger.

The neighbor swung again, and-once again, without thinking-Arashiyama threw an uppercut straight to Polilla's chin.

"AUGH-!" the neighbor coughed, stumbling back and holding his chin. "What the-that shouldn't be-"

Luckily the larger and stronger Reiji finally caught on, suddenly appearing in front of him and delivering a much more effective hook. The neighbor collapsed to the ground with a cry, holding his face.

"Get Chika out of here," the burly redhead stated, "We'll handle this."

Kitora nodded, taking Chika by the arm. "Satori, Tokieda-"

"You're not going anywhere!" Polilla interrupted, slamming the butt of his hammer into the ground. "None of you are!"

Suddenly there was another explosion, and this time everything went black.

* * *

This is definitely not relaxing, is it? Yuma thought as he and Osamu practically ran through the hospital hallways.

His intention for bringing him here was to get his mind off of his Side-Effect (which in hindsight wasn't such a great idea seeing as Chika was a victim of it...) but that seemed to have backfired quite badly-at this rate, he may have to use it...

"Osamu-kun wait," he said, grabbing the bespectacled brunette by the sleeve as they reached his mother's room. "We shouldn't just barge in there."

Obviously Osamu disagreed when he took his trigger out of his pocket. "Trigger, on."

"Osamu wait," Yuma trailed off as the brunette gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his combat avatar appearing instantly. "…you used your injured hand."

"Of course," he stated, "regular Trion won't faze her."

"But you can't go against her like this," Yuma insisted, gesturing to the bespectacled brunette.

Osamu raised an eyebrow at the statement, but before he could comment the white-haired neighbor elaborated. "You may have your 'Trion-negating' Side-Effect," he said, "but I'm not sure this time you'll be able to use it."

"What do you mean by that?" Osamu demanded, "I already know that I can activate it with a normal trigger—"

"—but are you willing to take another life?" Yuma interrupted, "Last time you were injured, desperate, and fresh from who-knows-what kind of treatment that you killed that other neighbor without a second thought. Your morals changed to fit the situation—escaping by any means necessary—but now that you're back on Meeden…"

There was a long pause as the bespectacled brunette debated his answer. "You're saying that I'm too willing," Osamu stated, "and that my personal vendetta will get in the way of doing the right thing?"

Yuma blinked for a moment, not expecting that answer at all.

Shaking his head, the white haired neighbor covered up his apprehension with a shrug. "I'll follow your orders because you're my captain," he replied, "but I don't want you to do something you'll regret either."

"It'll be fine," Osamu insisted, "Now let's go."

"…whatever you say," Yuma replied, "Trigger, o-"

Suddenly the building shook, causing some plaster to fall from the ceiling.

"Well that didn't sound good."

"That came from right above us," Osamu stammered, "That's the ICU-Chika!"

Yuma suddenly remembered the day Chika told him about Osamu's nightmare.

I'm not worth another person's life…

It's easy for him to say "I'm not worth it", but he knew that it wouldn't go well with Osamu to say someone else wasn't worth it, especially his mother of all people-or Chika.

Who am I kidding, he thought, this is Osamu we're talking about-speaking of which…

"I'll take care of the neighbor," Osamu stated, "You go see if Chika's okay."

Yuma blinked, not expecting a command. "Got it," he replied nonetheless, deciding that now wasn't the time to ask questions. "Trigger, O-"

Suddenly the door to the room opened and a familiar blonde woman stepped out, staring down at the two of them.

"It is you," Dr. Mariposa murmured, "Your mother and I were just talking about you."

She moved to the side, revealing the brunette woman lying in the bed.

"Mom!" Osamu exclaimed, rushing to her side with a face full of worry and relief. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you? What happened!?"

"What a worry wart," Dr. Mariposa murmured, turning to Yuma. "I don't believe that I've had the pleasure of meeting you, uh…"

"Kuga Yuma," Yuma supplied with a raised eyebrow, "Dr. Mariposa I assume?"

"That's right," she affirmed, "though I've gotten rather used to 'Neighbor Woman' at this point."

"I just had to get stitches on my leg,"Kasumi told her son gently, "Your captor and I got into a bit of a fight-"

Osamu whipped towards Dr. Mariposa, but his mother put a hand on his. "It's fine," she assured him, "I beat her over the head pretty hard and took her trigger."

The building rumbled again, and Osamu looked to the door. "Yuma, take Dr. Mariposa's trigger," he said, "and stay with my mom. I need to see if Chika's okay."

"I got it," Kasumi replied, "I can activate it on my own."

"WHAT?!"

Both Osamu and Yuma stared at Dr. Mariposa, who sighed. "Please don't ask…" she murmured, "It's a long story."

"Fine," Osamu sighed, wincing when the building shook a third time. "Yuma, keep them safe."

"Roger," Yuma acknowledged, noting the "them" with amusement. "Try not to die, okay?."

His amusement died a bit with the uncomfortably long pause following Osamu's reply. "I'll try."


	16. Before You Act

**Okay so I was reading chippokenabokura's tumblr and re-reading my old fic and realized how OOC everyone is…**

 **As I've stated before, I started this fanfic when I was only 40 or so episodes in and wasn't quite versed in the universe or its characters yet, leading to some extreme OOC ness (as some even pointed out in the past lol) and while I tried to work with it, it's becoming increasingly difficult when I want someone to act one way according to their canon character, only for it to contradict what they act like in the fic...it's a headache.**

 **However I'm known for over-revising my works so I want to know how you guys feel about it-do you think I can work with it or should I re-write it entirely? The last thing I want is to abandon it altogether, but damn were the older chapters bad...**

 **So if you actually read this ridiculously long A/N pm me or leave a review :D**

 **(seriouslyimlonelydon'tletthisfandomdie** _ **cries**_ **)**

* * *

 _The day before…_

" _Hey Yuuichi," Jun greeted, catching the power elite walking down the hallway. "It's been awhile since we just talked."_

" _You're right," Yuuichi agreed distractedly, "I've been...busy."_

 _Jun sighed, knowing exactly what was going on without even asking. The power elite was staring past the captain's eyes, fingers nervously drumming on his thigh as he gave a forced smile-signs that he was in the middle of a vision._

 _The captain let him space out, deciding to let him finish before speaking. Most of the time Yuichi is pretty good at concealing when he's concentrating on his Side-Effect, so whenever he was visibly anxious it meant that whatever he was seeing was something serious._

 _A moment later Yuichi snapped out of it with a few rapid blinks. "I'm sorry, say that again?"_

" _I didn't say anything," Jun replied, "What did you just see?"_

 _The way Yuichi subtly winced put him on edge, though he didn't show it. "It's not important," he waved off, "I just need to go talk to Kitora really qui-"_

" _If it involves my teammate then I'm pretty sure it involves me," Jun interrupted, "and if you can't tell me then just say so, don't just brush it off as nothing."_

" _...I can't say much," Yuichi finally admitted, "Just...make sure you're_ not _in your trion body when you next visit Kitora-kun, okay?"_

 _Jun raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding. "Me specifically, or…?"_

" _J-just you," Yuichi answered, "It seems weird, I know but-"_

" _-I trust you," Jun finished, "It is weird, but I'll keep it in mind."_

 _Yuichi was quiet for another few seconds, then smiled. "Good," he replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't, everything will be fine."_

* * *

When Jun regained his bearings, he decided that he and Jin had two _very_ different definitions of "fine".

However, he also decided that he had to focus on the fact that the smoke was making it close to impossible to see, and as a result he had no idea where the neighbor could be.

"Ayatsuji-san," he grunted, "Visual support, please?"

When he was met with nothing but silence, it finally hit him that he wasn't in his trion body-he was injured, alone, and completely vulnerable.

Pushing down a wave of panic, the captain attempted to sit up, running a mental diagnostic of himself to see if he had any serious injuries. He was able to stand without too much trouble, but his shoulder ached from when he was thrown into the wall-he hadn't been able to switch into his Trion body before the blast, leaving his physical body to fight through the pain. There was smoke and dust everywhere, so he had to rely on his ears to get his bearings. Everything was extremely quiet, so he assumed he was the only one awake.

 _Or alive_ , a voice in his head whispered.

"Hello?" a familiar voice suddenly called out, "Jin-san? Arashiyama-san?"

"Kitora-san?" Jun called back, relieved to hear his teammate's voice. "I'm over here!"

The smoke moved a bit, and Kitora finally came into view. "Thank goodness!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Jun narrowed his eyes, not reciprocating the action.

"...hey, Kitora-san," he murmured, "Remember that time...this exact same thing happened at Mikumo-kun's school?"

"Of course," Kitora replied easily, "Don't talk too much, you're hurt-I'm going to go look for-"

"W-wait," he interrupted, grasping her sleeve and faking a cough. "D-don't leave me…"

Kitora seemed to look slightly uncomfortable. "W-we should look for the others, s-shouldn't we?"

"B...but Kitora…" Jun wheezed pathetically, tightening his grip. "If we get Mikumo-kun…"

Realization dawned on the ace's face. "He'd help save the civilians," she finished, "Just like he did back then! That's a great idea!"

Jun hid his malice behind a weak smile. "G...go," he said, "I'll be fine."

Kitora smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "I'll come back for you," she murmured, standing up and starting into the smoke.

"C-Chika? Are you there?"

The captain's eyes widened. _Ah hell_ , he thought, _Mikumo-kun is actually_ here _?_

Kitora noticed too, turning in the direction of the voice. "There he is!" she exclaimed, voice filled with relief.

However, her eyes and grin were wide and crazed. "I can just finish him off here…" she whispered just loud enough for Jun to hear.

Forsaking stealth for speed, Jun immediately dove for her legs despite his injuries and brought the two of them to the ground. His hands found a stray piece of glass and raised it above his head-

-only to freeze when his teammate stared back up at him in fear, eyes wide and filled with tears.

His hesitation gave the neighbor the opening she needed to kick Jun off of her, which flung him back into the opposite wall. Pain shot up his back as he slumped to the ground, his breath pained and erratic. Even so he forced himself to stay conscious, eyes set in a fierce glare at "Kitora" as she sauntered up to him with a giant grin on her face.

"I'm sure this wasn't how you were expecting to go, were you?" she asked, a haughty grin on her face as the hammer materialized in her hands. "Who knew you'd be looking into the eyes of your own friend as you died-unable to do a damn thing?"

The A-Rank captain forced his face to stay neutral despite the pain in his back worsening. "I'd be relieved," he stated defiantly, "to be reminded of my squad and everything we've been through right before I die."

The neighbor gave him a sneer as she raised the hammer above her head. "You're an optimist aren't you?" she commented, "Oh well, it's not like it's going to save you now!"

" _Asteroid!_ "

Suddenly red bullets hit Neighbor Kitora square in the chest, causing him to shout in agony and leap back into the smoke.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Osamu appeared from the smoke. "A-Arashiyama-san?!" he asked incredulously, "What's-"

He froze when he saw the fierce look on the captain's face, which gave him a feeling of deja vu. "A-Arashiyama-san…?"

"Squad...Operator…" he huffed as he attempted to catch his breath, "...name…"

"U-Usami-sempai?" the bespectacled brunette replied uncertainly, "I-I already notified her about the attack on the hospital so don't worry about that-"

"That's not...the problem…" Jun grit out as held his injured rib cage, "This neighbor...is a _shapeshifter_."

Realization dawned on Osamu's face. "You were making sure I wasn't a fake," he finished, "smart thinking-but we need to get you out of here!"

"I-I'm not...first priority…" Jun stammered, forcing himself to sit upright despite the pain. "That neighbor…"

Osamu seemed to hesitate. "But you're badly-"

" _Go_ -!" Jun snapped, instantly falling into a coughing fit. "-I'll live! There may s-still be...civilians…!"

The bespectacled brunette nodded resolutely, standing up straight. "Leave it to me, Arashiyama-san."

Jun watched him vanish into the fog, leaving him alone once again.

* * *

When Chika opened her eyes she was greeted by a surprisingly familiar face.

"M-Mikumo-san?" she stammered, blinking herself into a more cognizant state. "What are you doing here?"

"Thank goodness you're okay," she murmured, face as passive as usual as she moved a strand of hair out of Chika's face. "I was so worried…"

"She and Yuma met us outside," Reiji explained, causing her to whip her head towards the Tamakoma-1 captain. "Apparently there was more going on than we thought."

Chika blinked again, realizing that they were indeed outside-and that she was laying on her back on a makeshift cot. "Is everyone else okay?" she asked worriedly, "Arashiyama squad was there…"

"...I wish I knew," the brawny redhead sighed, "Jin is still in there was well, but he was conscious when I saw him last. The news is claiming that it's a terrorist attack that caused the explosions, but they're also sending Border agents inside as well to aid in evacuation."

 _And possibly try to contain Polilla..._ Chika thought with a grimace, that awful memory of her-well, _his_ -charred body lying atop her shield making her feel queasy.

"Are you going to help?" Chika asked, averting her gaze.

"I'm staying right here with you," Reiji replied immediately, "not only are you the neighbor's most likely target, Jin gave me explicit orders to make sure you stay here for the time being."

Chika blushed a little, feeling useless. "Sorry…" she murmured, hiding her face with her hair.

"That brat seems to be after you for some reason," an unfamiliar blonde spat as she stood beside Kasumi, which brought Chika back to the present. "Trust me, staying with Beefy over here will do everyone a favor."

She saw Reiji's eyebrow raise slightly. "...'Beefy'...?"

The blonde turned to Chika, arms crossed. "Pardon my manners," she said, "I'm Dr. Mariposa."

"The one responsible for this mess," Kasumi added, which made Chika even more confused.

"Is that _always_ going to be how you introduce me?" the newly dubbed "Dr. Mariposa" demanded, glaring daggers at Osamu's mother. "I went through all that trouble to help _you_ and _this_ is the thanks I get…?"

Chika wasn't sure how to feel about Dr. Mariposa. "You're...a neighbor…" she murmured, eyes widened in realization."Are you were the one who...?"

"She's trying to make up for it," Kasumi finished gently, "so please bear with her."

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow, thoroughly impressed. "I thought I was blending in rather well," she said, "but yes, I am a neighbor. How could you tell?"

"It's a side-effect of hers," Kasumi explained, "she can sense neighbors, and unfortunately they tend to be attracted to her due to her high trion."

"I see," the blonde woman murmured, "that explains why the gates were only in that one area…"

The brunette girl's stomach dropped. "W...what do you mean…?"

"I told my son to get a human with low trion," the blonde woman explained, "but neighbor gates are usually attracted to large trion sources, and since we weren't putting in specific coordinates…"

Chika averted her eyes, her hair covering her face. _It_ was _my fault after all..._

"Normally we can regulate it pretty well," the blonde murmured, "but the reason that happened is because the technology at my lab in Tharsis...isn't quite up to date."

"I take it that's your 'husband's' fault?" Kasumi asked with finger quotes.

"You're damn right," the blonde replied bitterly, "All the updated facilities are for war purposes only, as if that and research don't go hand in hand..."

"It wasn't your fault," Reiji murmured, making Chika look up at him.

"But-" she started, only to be cut off by Dr. Mariposa.

"You can't _seriously_ be blaming yourself," she scoffed, "I assure you if I had better tech then none of this would have even _happened_. I mean _sure_ my son wanted to conquer Meeden, but…"

She trailed off, averting her eyes with a grimace.

"She's basically saying not to worry because she's taking responsibility for the mess made," Kasumi finished with a smile, "and I'm inclined to agree."

Chika felt as if a weight fell off her shoulders. "I-If you say so…"

* * *

It didn't take long for Osamu to find the neighbor.

"Osamu-kun, is that you?"

Kitora came out from the smoke, looking beat up but okay. "I'm so glad you're alright! I was _so_ -!"

Without even hesitating, Osamu thrust his Raygust at her, causing her to jump back into the shadows.

"Really?" she asked, laughing good naturedly. "I must be off with this one's personality, huh?"

There was a _whooshing_ sound behind him, and Osamu turned just in time to cut off Chika's arm.

"O-Osamu-kun!" she cried out, holding her shoulder. "How-how _could_ you!? I _trusted_ you!"

He lunged again, refusing to be moved.

"Wow, you're a tough nut to crack!" Chika grinned, the look unsettling the bespectacled brunette. "Looks like it's time to get out the big guns!"

The next thing he knew he was being thrown into a wall by a powerful uppercut to the stomach.

" _Wow_ this guy is strong!" Reiji said, observing his fists. "Is he even _human_? I'm curious...though he's not really my type."

Osamu forced himself to stand with the help of his Raygust, his breaths coming out in heaves. _He's too strong…_ he thought as he tried to get his bearings, _but he_ must _have a weak spot…_

He glanced up at the neighbor again and found himself looking into Arashiyama's eyes. "Now _this_ I can get used to," he laughed, observing his new body. "Not bad..."

Before Osamu could even react Arashiyama kicked him in the stomach, throwing him across the room. He was barely able to land on his feet, but he managed to parry the next attack with his blade. A flurry of kicks and slices ensued, with the neighbor dodging every single one of his attacks.

Until Osamu got an idea.

Suddenly he crouched, swinging his Raygust at the neighbor's legs. The neighbor jumped to avoid his slice, but then Osamu thrust out his arm. "Asteroid!" he called out, materializing the red bullets and firing.

The bullets hit him square in the chest, making him double over. "Damn it…" the neighbor muttered, clutching his wounds. "This...is getting pretty hard…"

Arashiyama melted back into Polilla's original burnt form. "Looks like I'll have to take your toy away," he growled, lunging back at Osamu with inhuman speed.

Osamu attempted to block with his Raygust but the neighbor kicked it out of his hand, which caused it to fly into the smoke out of sight. "Much better," he smirked, "now, prepare to-"

" _Polilla_ ," a stern, masculine voice stated, causing the neighbor to freeze in its tracks. "We need him alive."

Osamu whipped around in confusion, not registering where the voice was coming from. "Show yourself!" he shouted, readying asteroid.

"No," the voice deadpan, "Polilla, hurry up and end this."

"He killed Musca!" Polilla protested, "He deserves to suffer-!"

"I don't care if you beat him within an inch of his life," the disinterested voice interrupted, "Just hurry up."

"...fine," the neighbor pouted, reforming into Arashiyama. "I'll make it quick, then we'll take him back."

 _No..._ fear and rage suddenly clutched the bespectacled brunette's chest as he wordlessly summoned asteroid, _I don't want to go back, I won't-I_ _ **can't**_ _-!_

Arashiyama rushed at him with his hammer, and Osamu did the same with his Asteroid. _I'm not going back, I_ _ **refuse**_ _!_

"I'd rather _die_ than go back!" Osamu shouted as he fired bullet after bullet as pure adrenaline coursed through him. Arashiyama dodged the majority of them, but enough of them hit to make him jump back with fear-filled eyes.

"You're clearly not strong enough to handle this," the voice sighed in irritation, "just get out of there."

"It's not _my_ fault he's cheating!" Arashiyama whined, "A blade _and_ projectiles?! That's just not fair!"

Osamu almost laughed at the irony, though he was more focused on the now retreating neighbor.

 _No,_ he thought venomously, _I'm not...letting you get away…_

However his adrenaline started wearing off, making his limbs feel heavy and his mind hazy. "S...stop…"

However Arashiyama disappeared back into the smoke, and before Osamu could follow everything went black.

* * *

After a quick mental diagnostic Kitora concluded to be in good shape, despite the fact that her combat avatar seems to have dissolved.

 _Why didn't I bail out?_ She thought to herself as she stood up and dusted herself off. Everything seemed deathly quiet, the thick smoke making her nervous.

Speaking of the smoke, Kitora couldn't see where she was stepping as her foot snagged on something, which caused her to fall face first into the floor.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she muttered, only to realize that it was a _person_ she tripped over and not rubble.

And that person was wearing a bright red Border uniform.

"Satori?!" she exclaimed as she dropped to her knees in shock. He was half crushed by debris, trion leaking out from underneath. She attempted to move it, but no matter hard she pushed it didn't budge.

She almost cried when he shifted, effortlessly pushing the debris off of himself. "Geez…" he murmured as he put a hand to his head, "that actually kinda hurt…"

The Arashiyama Ace took a deep breath to regain her composure. "Satori-san," she stated, catching the sniper's attention. "Can you walk?"

"I'm fine," he waved off, "Can't kill me _that_ easily!"

"Good, cause we need to kill this neighbor," she stated, "We also need to-"

"' _We_ '?!" Satori exclaimed, "You're not even in your trion body! _We_ need to get _you_ out of here-!"

"Well we don't know where the others are," Kitora insisted, "What about Arashiyama-san and Tokieda-san? What about Reji and Amatori? We can't just leave them with this neighbor running around!"

"Kirora, you can't do anything without your trion body," Satori reasoned, "I'll find them, I promise."

As much as she wanted to argue more, she knew he was right. "Fine," she conceded, holding out a hand for her teammate. "You win."

Satori took it gratefully with his left hand, forcing himself upwards. "...oops."

"What is i-?" Kitora stopped in her tracks when she saw the trion flowing freely from the sniper's missing right arm. "...oh."

"It must've gotten blown off in the blast," Satori laughed nervously, little fissures starting to creep onto his face. "That's weird… sorry that I couldn't be more help…"

"Don't worry about it," Kitora replied flippantly, "bail out and tell Ayatsuji everything that's happened-she probably knows the gist of it, but let her know that the neighbor is a shapeshifter and extremely crafty."

"Got it," Satori said, saluting as more fissures lined his skin. "Be careful, okay?"

Kitora nodded, averting her eyes. "Okay."

 _Trion limit exceeded, bail out._

With one more grin, Satori disappeared in a flash of green into the sky.

 _...why the hell didn't I bail out?_ She thought again, thoroughly confused. Shaking her head she decided not to dwell on it, instead standing up and looking for more people.

Suddenly the smoke shifted, revealing Arashiyama in his border uniform. "Kitora-san," he smiled, "You're...alright…!"

"Arashiyama-san," she said, relief flooding over her.

Only for it to disappear completely.

"Arashiyama-san…" she stated, "What's our squad operator's name?"

"Ayatsuji-san," he replied instantly, giving her a smile. "It's really me."

The relief came back full force, and she let out a sigh. "Thank goodness," she stated, "Satori-san just bailed out from Trion loss, but Tokieda-san is nowhere to be found. I think I saw Reiji escape with Amatori-kun, and Jin is also nowhere to be found."

"Got it," Arashiyama replied, straightening himself out. "Our numbers are too small to deal with the neighbor-we should try to help with the evacuation and save as many people as possible."

"Roger," Kitora affirmed, following her captain towards the stairs.

While they walked, however, she got the feeling that something was very, _very_ wrong.

 _Bail out and tell Ayatsuji everything that's happened._

Kitora resisted the urge to facepalm. She _just_ said her name! Considering the fact that Arashiyama _just_ appeared, it wouldn't be impossible that the neighbor was listening for anything that could help him blend in better-and she's most likely falling for it _right now_.

"I hope your brother and sister are okay," she murmured, her hands tightening around her handgun.

"I'm sure they're fine," he replied flippantly, "they're tough."

 _Got you_ , she thought, _Arashiyama-san would_ flip out _at the thought of them in trouble._

"I forget...they're names are Fuki and Sahi, right?"

"Of course," her "captain" answered, "you should know this by now-didn't I already prove that I'm really me?"

She really wasn't able to do anything without Mikumo and his Side-Effect, so she decided to wait until she found more help outside. "Yeah," she murmured, "just...can't be too careful, you know?"

Arashiyama stopped, making Kitora do the same. "You...don't believe me, do you?"

On instinct Kitora jumped to avoid the hammer that smashed down on the ground where she previously stood. When she stumbled back she lost her balance and fell to the ground, pain shooting up her ankle as she stared up at the advancing neighbor.

The neighbor still resembled Arashiyama, though the almost demonic smile on his face was so out of character that it sent shivers down the ace's spine. "I don't need you trying to pull something while I try to escape!" he bellowed, rushing at her with inhuman speed.

There was a terrifying moment when everything froze, just as the neighbor reached her-Jun Arashiyama's face twisted into a cruel, sadistic grin as he raised up the hammer once more-

-only for his head to suddenly be sliced off, both blood and trion spraying everywhere as it landed right in Kitora's lap.


	17. Act Fast (Ch 17 Repost)

Kitora's hands shook as she stared at her captain's severed head slowly morph back into the neighbor's burnt form, causing her to push it away and scramble backwards in horror.

"J-Jun!" she shouted, throwing courtesy to the wind as she felt herself becoming frantic. "Jun-!"

"Kitora-kun," a familiar voice replied behind her, causing her to whip around and almost weep in relief.

There stood the _real_ Arashiyama, looking rather beat up as he held what appeared to be a Raygust blade, except-

"I-Is that Mikumo-kun's Raygust?" she asked, composing herself despite the concern gnawing at her gut. "Where is he?"

"I sent him out to find other civilians," her captain huffed, "And that neighbor came back...I thought I was too injured to move…but when I heard my own voice…I had to…"

He suddenly clutched at his ribs and fell to his knees as Kitora rushed to his side, the Raygust and her arms the only thing keeping him upright.

"You probably _are_ too injured to keep moving," Kitora murmured, wiping dirt off of his face as she sighed both in relief and irritation. "That was scarier than the first time…"

"First time…?" Arashiyama asked, not understanding.

"That a head landed in my lap," Kitora explained bluntly, "Last time it wasn't someone I _knew_ …"

She then noticed that he was rapidly losing consciousness, causing her to frantically look around for something- _anything_ to help when she spotted the trigger in the now dead neighbor's hands. It looked like a standard Border trigger, and Kitora realized that it had to be Arashiyama's-the look alike had sported their team's signature red uniform despite her captain refusing to go in his trion body.

"Stay with me," she murmured, lightly tapping Arashiyama's cheek and making his eyes flutter back open. "Just a little longer…"

Kitora reached over with a grimace and plucked the trigger from the neighbor, letting out a noise of disgust when her hand brushed against charred, dead skin. When she leaned back over to the captain his eyes had closed again.

"Arashiyama-senpai," she said again, his body flinching the slightest bit as she put the trigger in his hands. "It's okay, it's a trigger-say, 'Trigger On.'"

"T...trigger…" the captain erupted into a coughing fit, but luckily the intent was enough for his combat body to form.

"Thank god…" Kitora sighed, "how do you feel?"

Arashiyama sat up on his knees, staring down at the red Raygust in his hands. "...I'm fine," he murmured with a bitter laugh, "Are you okay?"

Kitora glanced back at the dead neighbor with a shudder. "I...I will be eventually," she replied, "But right now we need to find the others-"

"We need to get _you_ out of here," Arashiyama interrupted sternly, "You're not even in your combat body-even with the neighbor dead you can still get seriously hurt."

"That's exactly what Satori said…" Kitora mumbled, "but I guess you're right."

Arashiyama gave her an expectant look, and Kitora realized that he obviously would want to know if his other teammates were okay. "Satori was in his trion body when I saw him last," she added, "His arm had been blown off in the blast though and had to bail out."

"I see," her captain murmured, "was there anyone else?"

Kitora shook her head with a sigh. "I have no idea where anyone else is."

A silence fell over them as they thought about what to do next.

"I want to get you out of here," Arashiyama repeated, "but I don't want to leave the others alone-"

He stopped mid sentence when the Raygust suddenly vanished, the blood splashing unceremoniously onto the floor between them.

"That's not good," Kitora commented with wide eyes as she stared at the puddle with apprehension.

"He must've lost his trion body," Arashiyama muttered as he quickly rose to his feet, "C'mon, we need to find him."

"Ri- _nngh_ -!"

Pain shot up her leg when she attempted to put weight on it, making her slip and fall back onto the ground. "D-dammit…" she cursed, "I must've twisted my ankle…"

"That's fine," Arashiyama replied, "Here, get on my back."

He then turned around and knelt down, allowing Kitora to climb on his back. "T-thanks…" she mumbled, her face starting to heat up. "A-and sorry…"

"Don't apologize," he replied with a chuckle, "It's my duty to make sure my teammates are safe."

Kitora hummed in response as the two of them ventured back into the slightly settling smoke.

* * *

"I know you're there," Jin called out, "So you don't have to hide."

The power elite smiled as something whipped behind him, making him parry a blow with Fujin. "Whoa, no need to be aggressive," he replied, "I just want to talk."

The smoke started to settle and he caught a barely visible figure standing before him- tall, lithe, and holding what looked like an actual, metal double-edged sword.

"You seem more aware than most," he murmured, "who are you?"

"Power Elite Yuichi Jin, at Meeden's service," Yuichi replied, giving the neighbor a salute. "Now tell me, who are _you_?"

The neighbor rose an eyebrow at him. "...Mariposa," he replied, "A lord of Tharsis-I doubt you've heard of it."

"I have, actually," Yuichi replied, "One of our people got kidnapped by one of yours."

"...I see," he murmured, "Well I can't deny I had that same intention, though it seems that I failed spectacularly in that department."

Jin cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Even though your friend was adamant about capturing mine, something tells me the person you were looking for isn't from here either."

The neighbor chuckled softly. "You're an odd one," he commented, "I figured most people here wanted all neighbors dead, and yet we're having a civil conversation-unless you're stalling."

"It's a bit of both," Yuichi admitted, "But you don't pose a threat as of now, so I don't think we'll fight today."

"How ominous," the neighbor chuckled softly, "how can you be so sure?"

"Call it intuition,"Yuichi answered, "Well, I have some civilians to save, so until next time."

"...Until next time then," the neighbor said reluctantly, turning around and vanishing before his eyes.

"Who was that?"

Jin turned to the now visible Kazama standing beside him. "An adversary, for now," he replied, "I take it the rest of your squad is nearby?"

"Naturally," he replied, "though it seems that you had this under control."

"I still appreciate the thought though," Yuichi grinned, "If this went badly, you would've been a massive help!"

Kazama rolled his eyes and put his hand on his ear. "All clear," he stated, "resume search for civilians."

Utagawa and Kikuchihara both shimmered into view, flanking where the neighbor previously stood. "Well that was a whole lot of nothing," Kikuchihara muttered, "we probably could've detained him."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Yuichi laughed, "I mean we _could_ have, but the hospital is in bad enough shape as it is."

"Right, think of the civilians," Utagawa agreed, "Jin-senpai had it all figured out, so it's no worries!"

"If you call a casual conversation against an unbeatable opponent 'all figured out' then sure," Kikuchihara answered dryly.

Utagawa visibly deflated. "Well when you say it like _that_ …"

"We might have needed those blood triggers to fight him anyway, so I _guess_ you're right…" Kikuchihara conceded, "that would have been a pain…"

"Either way, it's less work for us," Kazama decided, "which we still have a lot to do, so let's go."

* * *

It didn't take long to find Osamu, mostly due to the help of their operator.

"You're really close to his trigger," Haruka stated, "It should be in this area."

Right as she said that Jun felt something crack under his foot.

"Ah...I think this is it…" he sighed, gently leaning down and picking up the discarded trigger. "But why doesn't he have it?"

"Arashiyama-sempai?"

Jun turned around and almost wept in relief. There stood Mitsuru in his trion body, holding Osamu up with one shoulder with his glasses tucked in his shirt. "Thank goodness," he sighed, "I don't know how long I can keep myself together…"

"Give him here," Jun ordered, suddenly jerking his back upwards to readjust Kitora on his back and prompting a surprised gasp.

Mitsuru seemed to just notice she was there as he handed Osamu off to Jun. "Are you hurt, Kitora-kun? It's not serious, is it?"

"Just a stupid sprained ankle," Kitora mumbled, "also a head landed in my lap again, so that was fun."

Mitsuru's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "Please tell me it was the neighbor's...though it couldn't have been Osamu who did it since you were just looking for him…"

"...I did," Jun admitted, "I found his Raygust and Kitora was in trouble, so…"

"...you did what you had to," Mitsuru finished, "Understandable."

A silence descended on them, making Jun's chest constrict. It wasn't his first time seeing gore-hell, even Osamu's return wasn't his first time-but he hadn't actually _killed_ someone before. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Not quite guilt, but not apathy either…what was it?

Kitora cleared her throat, and Jun realized they were probably expecting him to lead them out of here. "Okay," he said, reorganizing his thoughts. "First things first-are you injured anywhere?"

"I have a bit of a headache, nothing serious," Mitsuru answered, "and like I said, I can't hold my trion body together for long."

"I lost my trigger," Kitora mumbled, "hence why I'm on your back instead of being useful."

"We'll find that later," Jun decided, "And Mitsuru, if we come across anyone who needs help do you think you'll be able to carry them?"

"Most likely," the blonde replied, "I doubt my human body was harmed, so even if I run out of Trion I should be fine."

"I don't want you to push yourself too hard," he continued, "Once you two are safe I'll have to come back and-"

"Like hell you are!" Kitora exclaimed, cutting him off. "You need to get help-you're too injured to _stand_ in your-"

"My human body can wait," Jun stated sternly, "There are too many people to evacuate that can't."

"I...think it's a bad idea too," Mitsuru murmured, "If you're injured-"

"It's not up for discussion," Jun interrupted, readjusting Osamu in his arms with a huff. "Now let's go."

He felt Kitora turn slightly, most likely staring at Mitsuru as he followed behind.

"Arashiyama-senpai-" he tried again, but Jun was having none of it.

"I'll do what I can," he insisted stubbornly, "When I'm falling apart I'll get help, okay?"

"I'd also advise against it," Haruka admitted through the comms, "You can't retain your trion body for that long in your state-also Satori-kun thinks it's stupid, as do I."

"I know you're feeling guilty about killing Polilla and want to make up for it," Kitora added, "but you don't have to kill yourself in the process!"

He wasn't sure why, but he felt himself getting irrationally upset. "You think I feel _guilty_ about protecting you?" Jun snapped, "It was either him or you, and I made my choice."

Mitsuru stopped walking, and Jun felt Kitora's stiffen on his back.

" _You just_ _ **murdered**_ _someone."_

" _I saved her_ _ **life**_ _-I had no choice."_

Taking a deep breath, Jun continued to push forward. "It doesn't matter now," he decided, clenching his jaw in subtle irritation. "Let's just get out of here…"

Neither Mitsuru nor Kitora replied as they followed him through the now settled debris.

* * *

"Wait a second," Reiji said, "There's Arashiyama-kun and Mitsuru-kun, someone in Arashiyama-kun's arms...and on his back…?"

Yuma strained to look over the line of stoic police officers, but had no luck. "I can't see," he said, "They're okay?"

"Mitsuru-kun isn't in his trion body," Reiji noted, "Arashiyama-kun is-wait, that's Kitora-kun on his back, but I can't tell who's-"

He stopped suddenly when Kitora was helped down and the person was taken by paramedics.

"...Mikumo-kun."

Chika, who was struggling against the urge to fall asleep, suddenly snapped awake. "W-what?! You see him?"

"Is he okay?" Yuma asked, "Why is he being carried?"

"He seems unconscious," Reiji answered with a grimace, "I don't see any blood though, so he's probably not too injured."

Yuma and Chika glanced at each other, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Four-eyes seems quite reckless," Dr. Mariposa murmured, "he could've been seriously hurt."

"I'm surprised you're worried," Kasumi noted, "I would have thought you'd be concerned about Polilla."

"Polilla can die in a fire," the neighbor woman hissed, prompting even Kasumi's eyes to widen. "He's my husband's second son and I could care less about him."

"But he's your son, right…?" Chika asked timidly, not understanding.

"My husband has four wives, including me," Dr. Mariposa explained, "I'm the third one, Polilla's mother was the second."

"Was?" Kasumi questioned, "What happened?"

"That brat Polilla got her exiled for some reason," she replied with a dismissive wave, "Something about treason and spicy food, I can't remember."

"Life on Tharsis must have been interesting," Yuma commented, "but tell me, do you like it here?"

"I've been in captivity most of my time here," Dr. Mariposa muttered, "but...it's not _bad_ …"

Suddenly there was a loud cheer, prompting Reiji to peer over the policemen again. "It's Arashiyama-kun again," he said, "He seems to be carrying three more civilians-oh, and Jin is there too."

"That's good," Yuma said with a nod, "that's everyone, right?"

Chika thought for a moment then shook her head. "What about Satori?" she asked, "he was there too, right?"

"Ah, you're right," Reiji murmured, "I don't see him…maybe he bailed out?"

"Bailed out?" Dr. Mariposa questioned suddenly, "What, like retreated?"

"Pretty much-Meeden triggers transport us back to HQ when we run out of Trion," Yuma supplied, "it's helpful, but takes up a good chunk of trion..."

"A tactical retreat, huh…" the neighbor woman murmured, "you Meedenese really care about your soldiers enough to expend that much energy on retreat?"

"...'Meedenese'?" Reiji asked, raising an eyebrow."

"A lot of them are children after all," Kasumi stated, ignoring the redhead's question. "Even my son is only fifteen, and I'm sure there's younger as well."

Dr. Mariposa made a face. "I guess they're a good choice since their trion gland still develops…" she murmured, "...but it's still dangerous, right?"

"That's what things like 'Bail out' is for," Kasumi replied, "to get them to safety when necessary."

The two of them continued to talk, and Chika found herself smiling. The last thing she expected were the two women to get along, but she found herself not minding it too much. "You really are a nice person, aren't you Mariposa-san?"

The neighbor woman blushed, averting her eyes. "I-I'm not nice," she stammered, "I just...don't want to be ruled by vengeance all that much."

"That's fair," Kasumi commented, "It gets tiring after a while…"

Chika felt her eyelids grow heavy again, and decided to simply succumb to unconsciousness.


	18. Not Rash

Kitora stared down at Osamu's unconscious body with a withering glare as she sat beside him, while Mitsuru-who's trion form evaporated before he could bail out-re-applied ice to her now swollen ankle.

"If you glare at him that hard he'll be too scared to wake up," her teammate joked in his normal monotone voice, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Obviously," she snorted, "his plot armor is unbreakable."

Before Mitsuru could comment, the crowd cheered again as Arashiyama reappeared with another armload of injured civilians.

"...Hey, Kitora-kun," he murmured, "Just how injured _was_ Arashiyama-sempai?"

"He was almost unconscious when he killed that neighbor," she muttered in response, making sure to keep her voice low. "He collapsed immediately afterwards, and if I hadn't found his trigger…"

She trailed off, watching her captain reenter the hospital.

"He's being unusually stubborn," Mitsuru said quietly, "Kazama squad and Miwa squad are inside as we speak-normally that would be enough for him to call it a day."

The ace shrugged helplessly, letting out an irritated sigh. "It has to be that neighbor," she decided, "This whole thing has got him all worked up-you heard what he said. I bet it's exactly what happened to Mikumo-kun."

Mitsuru was silent for a moment. "Mikumo-kun seems to be handling it better," he stated, "from what I've seen, at least."

 _I…I_ _ **hate**_ _this Side-Effect._

"...I don't know about that," Kitora admitted, glancing at the sleeping brunette. "When we talked last, he said he was only keeping the side-effect because he 'didn't know what else he would do.' That doesn't really exude confidence if you know what I mean."

"Oh…" Mitsuru trailed off, studying Kitora's face. "Do you by any chance... _want_ to take the side-effect?"

Kitora's eyes widened as she sputtered for a response. "I-that's _crazy_!" she exclaimed, glancing around nervously. "Remember Fujin?" she murmured more quietly, "If I'm not allowed to use a black trigger they _know_ I can use, then why the hell would they let me use _Osamu's-_!?"

"I was just making sure," her teammate replied calmly, "I was planning on talking you out of it if you did. I didn't mean to upset you."

Now Kitora just felt bad. "No, I get it," she sighed, "it's just...I _do_ want to help Mikumo-kun, but..."

She trailed off, making Mitsuru hum in empathy. "Don't worry about it," he said, "I may not know how much difficult this is for you, but I know you're only human. There's only so much you can handle on your own."

"...That's the problem," Kitora murmured, looking down at her feet. "Mikumo-kun can only take so much until…"

 _You have a deathwish, don't you?_

"You want to help him," Mitsuru guessed, finally removing the ice from Kitora's ankle. "But I don't want to think that taking on the source of his problems will do it."

 _Because you think you're right?_ Kitora thought, _Or because you know you're wrong?_

"...yeah…" she murmured instead, looking up at the sky. "Me neither."

* * *

"Thanks Arashiyama-san!"

"We love you!"

"Go Jun!"

The praises went in one ear and out the other as Jun went back into the hospital for the fourth time, muscle memory putting him on autopilot as he followed the directions of the police and paramedics had given him earlier. The last run he had the fortune of running into Jin as well as Kazama squad back on the third floor, which further distracted him from thinking too much.

" _You listened," Jin smiled, "That's great…"_

" _What?" Jun glanced down at himself, remembering Jin's request to come sans trion body. "That's right...Satori-kun and Kitora-kun had both been knocked out of their trion bodies…If I had been knocked out-"_

" _You wouldn't have had your trion body to fall back on after that neighbor attacked you," Jin finished, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And poor Satori would have had a really tough time if he_ didn't _have his…I'm glad you took me seriously."_

" _Of course I'd take you seriously," he replied with a smile, "Especially since it usually involves either the safety of my teammates or civilians!"_

" _Of course, but..."_

 _Jin trailed off for a moment, then sighed. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"_

 _Before Jun can reply the power elite was already walking away. "You should be more careful in the future," he called to him, "you can't be the dashing hero if you're dashing towards your death!"_

He still wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but it was interesting to dwell on in the meantime-was he really going to die soon? If so, it would be all the more reason to help more people-he'd rather die saving others than in a hospital bed alone and useless.

 _I know you're feeling guilty about killing Polilla and want to make up for it, but you don't have to kill yourself in the process!_

Jun's ribs began to throb as he clenched his jaw, forcing his attention to the task at hand.

"H...he...lp…"

It was quiet, but Jun was able to pick it up with his enhanced hearing. "Where are you?" he asked, making his way towards the voice. "I'm here to help."

"Over...here…"

Jun finally spotted her, trapped underneath a destroyed door and a substantial amount of rubble. "Are you injured?" he asked as he knelt down to face her, "Or are you just trapped?"

"L-legs...hurt," the woman huffed, "h-help…"

"Don't worry," Jun said with a smile as he effortlessly pushed the debris off her and picked her up bridal style. "See, not so bad now, is it?"

The woman blushed as she held onto his shoulders. "T-Thanks, Arashiyama-kun," she stammered, "For saving me, that is…"

"Don't worry about it," Jun replied as he started back towards the stairs, "Now to get you out of-"

"Is that supposed to happen?" the woman cut off, "The cracks, I mean?"

 _Cracks?_ "What do you mean?" Jun asked, hoping she wasn't referring to what he thought she was.

"Like, little hairline fractures along your face," she elaborated, "is that green stuff supposed to come out?"

 _Dammit_ , he cursed as he picked up the pace, _I'm running out of time._ "Just a bit of overuse," he admitted, "I'll be fine."

"Y-you shouldn't push yourself too hard," the woman chastised, "I'm not trapped anymore so-"

"There's no way I can leave you here," Jun cut off, "Especially since you're injured-what kind of hero would do that?"

He flashed his TV Smile™, but the woman still looked concerned. "The cracks are growing."

"It'll be fine," he insisted as he picked up the pace, his ribs protesting painfully. "It's not like I'm _actually_ hurt!"

" _Liar,"_ Haruka huffed angrily through the comms, " _You have less than thirty seconds until you're forced to bail out_."

 _ **Oh**_. "Hang on," he instructed as he broke into a sprint. _All I have to do is make it down the stairs,_ he thought, _then we'll be in the clear!_

When he finally saw the stairs he lept over the railing and began to fall five floors towards the unforgiving ground.

 _ **Trion Limit exceeded. Bail out.**_

"Wait-!" he exclaimed as he felt his body become light, "T-trigger, off!"

His trion form vanished as he continued to fall, and on instinct he flipped over so his back would hit the ground and take the brunt of the fall.

When they hit the ground pain impaled his back and chest as the wind was knocked out of him. The woman's weight drove into his already damaged chest making him sputter in agony, unable to move.

"O-oh my god!" the woman screamed, though he could barely hear her over the ringing in his ears. "S-someone help! Jun's injured-!"

A shadow passed over them, a familiar voice murmuring something Jun couldn't understand.

"H...help...her…" he murmured as he felt a huge weight lift off his chest, "i...njured…"

The voice replied, but Jun had already lost consciousness.

* * *

Osamu blinked himself awake, his body screaming in pain as a familiarly shaped shadow hovered over him.

"Kitora...san…?" he asked groggily, attempting to sit up. "Is that-"

"Oh no you don't," she commanded, putting a hand on his shoulder and gently placing him back down on the cot. "We've already got a suicidal idiot running around in there, so stay."

Osamu furrowed his eyebrows, not comprehending. "What…happened…?"

"You tell me," Kitora murmured, "All I know is that Polilla's _definitely_ dead now and that Arashiyama-san is recklessly trying to play the hero despite being seriously hurt."

Suddenly everything rushed back to him-his mother, Dr. Mariposa, and that shape-shifting neighbor. He jolted upright, but Kitora put another hand on his shoulder. "Relax," she ordered, "Pollia's dead, so there's nothing to worry-"

"Who killed him?" Osamu asked, eyes wide with shock. "I-I tried, but-"

"Arashiyama-san found your Raygust," Kitora stated, "He cut off the neighbor's head and it fell on my lap...again."

Osamu winced and turned away. "I...I'm sorry."

"As if," she snorted, "If anything, I should be _thanking_ you-if Arashiyama hadn't found your Raygust we _both_ could have died. So thanks."

The bespectacled brunette's gaze fell to his clenched hands. "It's not enough," he murmured, "I should have been the one to kill him-it was my responsibility-"

"Oh get off your high horse," Kitora scoffed, rolling her eyes. "All that matters is that so far the only casualty is Polilla and he deserved it. All that 'blood is blood' nonsense you monologued to me is only going to slow things down-there's no way in hell you can handle it on your own."

"You don't understand," he muttered, "after what she did to Chika-and what she probably was _going_ to do- _I_ should have been the one to make him pay for that."

The memory of Chika's terrified screams filled his ears, making him grit his teeth. "I should have killed him myself."

Judging by Kitora's grimace, his feelings must have shown on his face. "Relax," she replied, "he's not going to hurt her anymore, so no need to sound so scary-vengeance doesn't suit you all that well."

Osamu let out a defeated sigh, not meeting her gaze. He _was_ being unnecessarily aggressive, especially since Polilla was dead now. "You're right," he sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "I just thought that now that I have this side effect I can do something- _anything_ -but I'm still the same weakling I was before...and now innocent people are paying the price. So I'm sorry."

Kitora stared at him with an uncharacteristically sad expression. "Don't be like that," she murmured, "I'm pretty sure you didn't ask for any of this, and in your defense you _did_ try to stop that neighbor. And like I said earlier, if Arashiyama-san hadn't found your Raygust I would have died-quite painfully at that."

"But-"

"But nothing," Kitora stated sternly, "Look, just because you suddenly get some insanely powerful side-effect doesn't mean that you'll become a Super Saiyan or something-this is the real world, not some shonen anime."

A silence fell between the two of them, only to be followed by three words Osamu hoped to never hear-

"I'll use it."

Osamu opened his mouth to protest, but Mitsuru-who he just realized was sitting next to Kitora-beat him to it. "Kitora-san-" he started, but she wasn't having any of it.

"It's like I said," she interrupted as she crossed her arms, ignoring her teammate entirely, "you clearly can't handle this on your own-besides, I'm sick and tired of people killing to protect me. If I have a chance to protect myself, why don't I take it? You said it yourself that you _hated_ this side-effect, so I might as well lighten the burden at least a little bit."

She wasn't looking at him as she spoke, making Osamu's chest feel heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes in an attempt to stop tears from forming. This was the very thing he attempted to avoid, but because he wasn't strong enough now his friends have to pay the price.

After a brief pause Kitora let out a sigh. "It's okay," she murmured, "I've been thinking about it for a while to be honest…you shouldn't go through this alone. It just isn't fair to you or everyone else trying to help you."

She finally glanced up at her now expressionless teammate, then to Osamu. "You should get some rest," she advised, "you've been through a lot."

 _I've rested enough,_ he wanted to insist, but he decided to lay down anyway, feeling he's done enough damage for today.


	19. We'll See About That

**I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!**

 **I thought I'd _never_ get this chapter done, sheesh. Special thanks to Fubukishirou999 for beta-ing :D**

* * *

"So you'll actually cooperate with us this time?" Kinuta asked dubiously, "Because you weren't too keen on it before."

"In my defense I was _captured_ last time," Dr Mariposa answered, gesturing to her newly made prosthetic arm from the other side of the one-sided glass. "Plus you gave me quite a nice gift in return, so how can I say no?"

Kitora sighed, forcing herself to stay awake.

Last night she had stayed up pretty late by the side of her now comatose captain, who (as she feared) had lost his trion form mid-rescue and was overcome by his injuries. So far two weeks had gone by and he had yet to awaken, leaving her squad incomplete— Mitsuru was filling as captain in the meantime, but unfortunately people have taken to calling them "Mitsuru Squad" which grated on everyone's nerves.

 _It's my duty to make sure my teammates are safe._

"You offered _before_ we gave you that," Kinuta pointed out, bringing her back to the present. "There must be another reason you changed your mind."

"Well you're not wrong about that," Dr. Mariposa murmured, "after my nephew tried to kill that one girl and almost killed hundreds of other innocent people in the process, I've decided I'm done with bringing harm to children."

"How noble," he muttered, "I guess we might as well get this started—"

"Allow me," the neighbor woman interrupted, "I've been through this before, so I'll cut to the chase. I come from an errant country called Tharsis run by a warlord looking for more land with resources. Here I'm what you'd call a

witch—in fact, I happened to be dabbling in what was presumed to be 'dark magic' when I kidnapped Four-Eyes and basically ruined everything."

Kinuta turned to Yuma, who nodded in confirmation.

"Seriously?" Kitora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did she say 'dark magic'?"

"Perhaps Tharsis was less technologically inclined than most countries," Kinuta pointed out, "If it weren't for neighbors helping us establish Border, we probably would have thought the same."

Try as she might, Kitora couldn't fault that logic. "Fair enough."

"Now," Kinuta continued, turning back to Dr. Mariposa. "What can you tell us about this so-called, 'dark magic'?"

"Okay, it's not _actually_ dark magic," Dr. Mariposa replied indignantly, "Us Tharsians are quite lacking in the trion department, so we have to rely on archaic weapons made out of substances similar to trion to defend ourselves—which we happen to be running low on, along with other resources. I mean, we were pretty big on agriculture, but that was before my husband took over the whole place."

"Took over?"

"Oh yeah, he killed the royal family," she explained casually, "massacred them all but four of the daughters-now we're his wives."

Kitora flinched inwardly at that, while Kinuta grimaced. "That's...unfortunate," he commented, "And this 'dark magic' has to do with Mikumo-kun's trigger, I'm assuming?"

"Again, not _actually_ dark magic," Dr. Mariposa reminded, "We once thought trion was light magic, but we've moved passed that. It's just...something we're not quite aware of yet—nothing scientific observation can't handle. It's just that our land doesn't value it all that much."

Kinuta briefly glanced at Kitora with an _I_ _told you so_ look, so she simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"So then wouldn't you consider yourself more a scientist than a witch?" Kinuta questioned, "Witches aren't exactly known for using the scientific method."

"I guess not," Dr. Mariposa mused, "but I'm also looking at things like prophecies and ancient texts—supernatural things witches tend to be drawn to."

"All that matters is that you look at it with a critical eye," Kinuta dismissed, "Perhaps we can collaborate information on this so called 'dark magic'—provided you remain cooperative, that is."

Dr. Mariposa fell quiet for a second, a mix of fear and excitement in her eyes. "If I do…" she murmured, "You have to promise me one thing."

"You're not exactly in a place to make demands," Kinuta reminded her, "However if your condition is doable we may have a deal."

"It benefits both of us, actually," she replied, staring down at her prosthetic limb again. "Just make sure that my husband doesn't get ahold of...whatever that stone is, or its abilities."

Kinuta rose an eyebrow, however his voice betrayed none of his uncertainty. "We weren't planning on giving it away," he said, "So that means we have a deal."

Dr. Mariposa smiled, raising her arms into the sky as she let out a yawn. "Are there any more questions?" she asked, "This is all kinda dull—I want to get to the _good_ stuff."

Kitora met the Development Chief's gaze, and nodded.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked anyway, "Once you get this side-effect, there's no going back—the public can't _ever_ hear about this, so you know what that means."

Kitora knew _exactly_ what he meant, seeing as he had mentioned it six times before the interrogation, as well as made her wait several days just in case Arashiyama woke up (no doubt because the Development Chief hoped her captain would talk her out of it.) A small part of her was glad he hadn't yet, and a smaller, slightly sadistic part actually dreaded when he _does_ —she knew her captain well enough that he wouldn't condone any of this, and judging by Mitsuru's attempt at talking her out of it back at the hospital the rest of her teammates won't be too keen on this either.

In fact, Mitsuru didn't even know she was here right now—and she knew when he found out, a _big_ storm was coming.

"I will no longer be associated with Border's PR unit," Kitora acknowledged, "And resign from Arashiyama Squad."

"And you're fine with that?" Kinuta pressed, making her mentally roll her eyes.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't, sir."

She glanced behind her at Kuga, who stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hello?" Dr. Mariposa called, "You guys are still there, right?"

The Development Chief gave Kitora one more nervous glance before heaving a sigh. "Let's get this over with then."

* * *

Shuji let out a huff as he stared down at Arashiyama's comatose body, arms crossed in apprehension.

He looked just as bad as before when Shuji first rescued him-his skin was a sick, pallid color and he had giant bags under his eyes, as well as bandages wrapped around his exposed torso. His breath came labored and uneven through the mask, his eyelids twitching every time his chest moved in time with his breaths. He couldn't for the life of him understand what possessed Arashiyama to push himself so far past his limit—he was one of the few people he knew that actually took his job seriously, so the fact that he managed to act so carelessly worried him more than he cared to admit.

 _Damn neighbors_ , he thought venomously, feeling his jaw clench in anger. _Attacking a_ hospital _of all things..._

Due to the fact that the hospital that was now in shambles happened to be a district hospital, Border had dedicated an entire wing of HQ to the sick and injured to take the pressure off of Mikado city's other, smaller general hospital as well as avoiding the ordeal of shipping patients all the way to Shizuka. As a result Arashiyama was housed not too far from his own squad's room, making it easier for everyone to visit.

"I figured you'd be here," and infuriatingly familiar voice said behind him, "My side-effect told me so."

...and that meant _everyone_.

"Jin," he muttered as his crimson eyes narrowed in irritation, not even bothering to

look at him. "What do you want?"

"I can't check in on my injured friend?" the self-proclaimed power elite pouted, stopping to stand beside the silently fuming brunette. "I'm hurt."

"Good," Shuji huffed, pointedly looking away from both Jin and Arashiyama's body. "...he's going to be okay, right?"

"You don't have to be shy about showing concern for your comrades," Jin chuckled, making Miwa's temper flair. "But…we'll see."

"What do you mean, 'we'll see'?" he demanded, "Can't you look into his future? Or mine?"

"It's fuzzy," Jin stated curtly, "So I don't know."

Miwa didn't want to accept that for an answer, but it seemed like Jin was just as unhappy about it as he was. "So that neighbor is now in our custody," he finished, changing the subject. "It's something, I guess."

"Hardly," Jin snorted, "Sure Dr. Mariposa's on our side, but she wasn't the one responsible for this mess. The _other_ neighbor is gone for _good_ —Arashiyama-san came across Mikumo-kun's Raygust and finished him off. Quite heroic if I do say so myself."

The "power elite" seemed to be gauging his reaction. "Sure," Shuji stated truthfully, "It was certainly reckless, but warranted."

Jin shrugged, no doubt predicting that answer without his side effect. "Fair point," he replied, "I just hope he believes it if he wakes up."

Shuji felt his eyebrow twitch subtly in irritation. "...'if'?"

The self-proclaimed power elite's smile turned bitter. "Like I said," he murmured, donning his glasses as he turned to leave. "We'll see."

* * *

Chika watched as Reiji gingerly removed the cloth from her forehead, only to aggressively wring it out into the bowl with all of his strength while maintaining his neutral expression.

"Reji," she murmured, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered predictably, gently placing the cloth back onto her forehead. "All you have to worry about right now is relaxing and getting better."

She knew that Reiji had good intentions, but it was kind of hard to relax when her senpai radiated negative energy. "Seeing _you_ feel better would help _me_ feel better," she murmured, "I thought you'd be in a better mood since Polilla is gone and Dr. Mariposa turned herself back in."

Reiji remained stubbornly quiet, so Chika decided to try to guess what was wrong. "Did Jin see something?"

Nothing but silence.

"What about...Kitora-san?" she tried, "Ever since Arashi—"

"I'm going to go make dinner," Reiji said resolutely, suddenly standing. "I'll be back."

"You made lunch just an hour ago," she replied, cocking her head to the side. "It's only two in the afternoon."

Reiji sighed, his back still to her. "All you have to worry about is this fever," he insisted, "Then we'll talk."

 _Well it's better than nothing…_ Chika decided. "Okay," she conceded, "Promise?"

Her senpai nodded, still not facing her. "Promise."

With that affirmation he quietly closed the door, leaving the sniper alone with her thoughts.

It obviously had to to with Kitora, and possibly Arashiyama-san—she couldn't deny that she was starting to act a little off ever since the hospital incident. At first she assumed it had to do with with her squad captain in a coma, but lately she apparently had been acting more closed off according to Yuma. She had assumed she was just coping with her captain's absence, but judging by Reiji's reaction something much more serious was going on.

"Chika," a familiar voice said, bringing the sniper back to the present. "Feeling any better?"

"Osamu-kun!" Chika greeted happily as the bespectacled brunette gently sat beside her on the bed. "I should be asking _you_ that,after everything that's happened.'

"Oh I'm fine," he replied dismissively, lightly touching her cheek. "You're still pretty warm…"

Chika had a feeling that wasn't because of the fever as she felt her face flush. "I-It's just a little fever," she answered, "My ribs are healing fine, according to the doctor."

That did nothing to ease the concern on Osamu's face. "I still think you should have stayed at HQ at least," he murmured, "Just in case…"

"You know I couldn't do that," Chika argued, "I'd be taking up room for someone who really needs it."

"We've talked about this," he sighed, lightly stroking her hair. "Your wellbeing matters just as much as everyone else's— even more so to me."

Chika opened her mouth to protest like she usually did, but that last sentence caught her off guard. "W-what do you mean, 'even more so'?"

Osamu went quiet, almost as if he wasn't sure himself. "...I just...want to protect you, that's all," he said finally, "And I'm not going to let you get hurt again."

Something about his tone and the blank expression in his eyes made Chika feel nervous. "Osamu-kun," she murmured, taking his hand in hers and holding it tightly. "You've already done so much for me. I'm fine, I promise."

Osamu hummed in response, not meeting her eyes.

"I mean it," Chika insisted, "I...I probably wouldn't be here if it wouldn't for you—way back when you first saved me…I was scared, but you came back. And I want to make it up to you by pulling my own weight."

"You don't have to—" Osamu started, making Chika's frustration bubble over.

"Yes I do!" she snapped, "I-I can't just keep sitting on the sidelines while you suffer for my sake! I don't want to be useless anymore!"

Something dark flashed in Osamu's eyes, turning her frustration into unease. "...Osamu-kun?"

"I'm not going to let you make the same mistake she did," he stated, "You don't have to throw your life away just to pull your weight. I can protect you—I _will_ , no matter what."

She had originally thought Reiji had radiated negative energy, but it seemed like mild annoyance compared to Osamu's dark disposition. "...she?" she asked, "...you wouldn't happen to be referring to Kitora-san, would you?"

Osamu refused to answer, but now Chika felt like she knew what was going on now.

"...She's going to use your trigger, isn't she?"

He remained quiet for a while, confirming her suspicions.

"...Don't worry," he murmured finally, "She...she can handle it—she's stronger than me, that's for sure…"

His words didn't match his eyes, which remained almost lifeless. "I'm not going to mess up again," he whispered, "I'll make sure of that."

She wanted to insist that he hasn't messed up, that she knew he was doing his best—but all that came out was a sneeze.

"Oh, you should be resting!" Osamu said, his face flooding with worry again. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry at all?"

Chika blinked in confusion at the sudden mood change, but decided to go along with it. "Reiji already made lunch," she answered, "I'm fine, really."

"You're sure?" Osamu asked, "If you say so...don't hesitate to call me or Reiji if you need anything, okay?"

"...okay," she answered as Osamu gave her hand a final squeeze before he left, quietly closing the door behind him.

It wasn't until he was gone did she notice her hand had started throbbing.


End file.
